The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

Hardcover, 311 pages

English language

Published Feb. 17, 1986 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

ISBN:: 978-0-395-40425-6
OCLC Number:: 12558693
ASIN:: B003JFJHTS

(3 reviews)

The Handmaid's Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

46 editions

Magnesium reviewed La servante écarlate by Margaret Atwood

Not so speculative fiction

5 stars

I was warned this book is not a fun one. Indeed it is not.

You get to see the omnipresent fear and violence of a patriarchal surveillance state. You get to see how it got there, little by little, and how it got accepted. The disturbing part is that it is very much believable...

I hadn't seen since Orwell's "1984" the effect of a totalitarian system on an individual so well described, especially at an individual level. You get to see how a single mind resists or breaks when faced with such overwhelming brutal and oppressive environment.

It is definitely worth reading, especially when you keep in mind the fact that Atwood has been censored in several US states.

René reviewed Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Excellent

5 stars

It took me a bit to get into the story, mostly because of how it’s written. It seemed to me too mysterious and in some cases, vague, but once I got fully immersed in the story I couldn’t leave. It’s such a rough story that makes you think about how the current world relates to it. I’m glad I read this book.

Luca Broggi reviewed Il racconto dell'ancella by Margaret Atwood

Fantastico

5 stars

Una lettura che mi ha preso. La struttura del libro è ottima. Il racconto è fluente ed intrigante. Adoro l'escamotage alla Manzoni in chiosa.

Mi ha fatto pensare e mi ha emozionato. Mi ha reso profondamente triste senza farmi commuovere.

Indimenticabile.

Subjects

Man-woman relationships
Misogyny
Fiction
Women