The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

This is the group thread for The Handmaid's Tale!

This thread is open for discussion beginning May 1st! Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed (mark as a spoiler) in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up if needed!

The Group Read Discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 5/1
May 1: Night: Chapter 1 & Shopping: Chapter 2
May 2: Chapters 3-4

Week of 5/3
May 3: Chapters 5-6
May 4: Night: Chapter 7 & Waiting Room: Chapter 8
May 5: Chapters 9-10
May 6: Chapters 11-12
May 7: Nap: Chapter 13 & Household: Chapter 14
May 8: Chapters 15-16
May 9: Chapter 17 & Night: Chapter 18

Week of 5/10
May 10: Birth Day: Chapter 19-20
May 11: Chapters 21-22
May 12: Chapter 23 & Night: Chapter 24
May 13: Soul Scrolls: Chapters 25-26
May 14: Chapters 27-28
May 15: Chapter 29 & Night: Chapter 30
May 16: Jezebel's: Chapters 31-32

Week of 5/17
May 17: Chapters 33-34
May 18: Chapters 35-36
May 19: Chapters 37-38
May 20: Chapter 39 & Night: Chapter 40
May 21: Salvaging: Chapters 41-42
May 22: Chapters 43-44
May 23: Chapter 45 & Night: Chapter 46

You can read the group book at any time during the month and at your own pace. This is the pace the group will be using, but if you read ahead or will be giving spoilers, please mark them (click the "some html is ok button"). If you have any question a mod will help you.

i started reading it and, if it wasn't for the series, I would be so intrigued what handmaids are. But the society here is so shocking and I really want to know what the hell happened to get to this.

Bopeep wrote: "i started reading it and, if it wasn't for the series, I would be so intrigued what handmaids are. But the society here is so shocking and I really want to know what the hell happened to get to this."

I stayed away from the TV series because I wasn't sure I'd still want to read the books. And like you, I'm curious about how things got this way. And I don't know if it's cuz of the bible verses, but it seems kinda prophetic, like we could get there.

Mena wrote: "Bopeep wrote: "i started reading it and, if it wasn't for the series, I would be so intrigued what handmaids are. But the society here is so shocking and I really want to know what the hell happene..."

i also decided to steer clear of the TV show. In the very beginning i was in some sort of shock when i began to see what handmaids really are. And like you both i really want to know why things had to get to this.

PS im on chapter 7

This book has me totally intrigued. It’s the tiring days of pandemic life that often results in me reading much less than I’m craving. But I too have stayed away from watching the series which I often do, as I like to let novels marinate in my thoughts vs the screen perspective being shown to me. I am a little over halfway through...

I think I'm slower with this book because of the setting. I hate the world there, it has been as if it's an actual society with medieval thinking. Which is terrifying because it could happen. I hate the lessons with the aunts, and it reminds me of the harrassment in religious boarding schools.

I'll probably feel bad when I finish this book, but also curious about what will happen, if there would be some kind of revolution or the society will be the same.

I'm on about chapter 10 and that was 2 days ago. It's not because this book is horrible or not because it's slower than i expected but because this book horrifies me, it presents to me all the things that could happen. Sometimes i forget this is futuristic and always think its set in a more historical time which actually SCARES the hell out of me. I hate that theres always "what we used to" "there used to" we used to go to the beach?? we used to call it privacy?? my goodness!

I'm so intrigued by Serena Joy, she seems like a woman of many secrets, i love me a mysterious character

PS i feel like im sharing so many opinions and sometimes repeating what the person above me ^ says :)

oh yeah, it's SO frightening to know that it could happen. :( hope not, though, with all the feminism nowadays.
I wanted to comment a part of chapter 13. I felt just horrible when they blamed Janine for being gang raped. I really wanted to cry.

I've read chapter 16 and I thought this part would be more traumatic. One of my friends told me about it from the series and she really explained it as a rape (in some way it is) but for the handmaid it's just her job. To let the man fuck her.
I suppose being the first time would be much worse...

Bopeep wrote: "oh yeah, it's SO frightening to know that it could happen. :( hope not, though, with all the feminism nowadays.
I wanted to comment a part of chapter 13. I felt just horrible when they blamed Janin..."

yes i found that sad. However i dont understand that skip. The book goes from "praise the lord" to that. I stopped for a while to absorb it

I hate aunt Lydia's misuse of biblical verses and i hate this openly anti feminist/patriarchal society and i hate the customs basically Gilead as a place is horrifying. And i realized that i do not like Serena Joy as much as i thought i would.

(view spoiler)[Also it's sad to see that most Handmaids including Ofglen choose suicide over being taken to those camps. Also who would have thought Moira would end up a prostitute she seems a strong character you know the i'd rather die than do that type. (hide spoiler)]


PS: i'm approaching the end of the book now. Also anyone find it weird how Atwood jumped from "blessed be the fruit" type language to "he was f**king me etc etc"?

I've finally finished!

I think the misuse of the bible and other documents is a political strategy, unfortunatefly.
It's not just that Ofglen would go to the camps, but also that they would probably toture her using her loved ones (as they did with Moira). I was expecting Moira to finish like that in some way. In fact, years ago most of the gays, lesbians and trans that were out of the closet finished like that. It's awful, and I'm glad that we progressed.

In fact, I enjoyed it as a classic, but UGH I just could read it on the morning so I won't dream about it. What infuriates me more is that from one day to another they cancelled all the credit cards, jobs, and all to the women. Hope it never happens.