The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)

by Margaret Atwood

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (The New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss.

Look for The Testaments, the bestselling, award-winning the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale

In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid’s Tale is a modern classic.

Includes an introduction by Margaret Atwood

• ISBN10: 038549081X
• ISBN13: 9780385490818
• Publish Date: 16 March 1998 (first published 1 January 1985)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Anchor Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780385490818

Reviews

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

[kalventure]

For an analysis of Hulu's adaptation, check out my blog post!

We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work for it. Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub you'd be boiled to death if you knew it.

[b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498057733s/38447.jpg|1119185] by [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg] is an incredibly smart critique and satire on religious fundamentalism taken to an even greater extreme. The novel itself is unsettling as a result of being written in the present tense, so that while reading I was on edge that at any moment something could happen to the narrator and the story would end abruptly. The style of writing set the tone for the dangerous world of Gilead, but the most disturbing element of the novel was the religious fundamentalism itself. Gilead obviously took a literal interpretation of the Bible as second marriages were outlawed, and “be fruitful and multiply” led to placing reproduction to be the primary goal for the society of Gilead. As a woman, I was most shocked by the objectification of women to be little more than baby makers, and that a woman’s worth is solely based on her ability to reproduce: “I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable."

Through the narrative we learn that women were no longer allowed to have money, could not read or write. Women were placed into a system which separated them based on their function, be it household duties (Marthas), reproduction (Handmaids), or wives. The tragic thing is that these women remember life before Gilead and are aware of what they have lost to the point that ordinary objects like a pen become coveted: “Pen Is Envy…warning us away from such objects. And they were right, it is envy. Just holding it is envy." Of course there is also a double entendre with that quote; perhaps you remember the 'pen15' game where you essentially trick other kids into writing penis on their hands? No? Okay well anyways. 'Pen Is Envy' = 'Penis Envy,' and considering that men are the ones allowed such luxuries as reading and writing the envy is twofold.

I would like to believe the story I'm telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending."

The book is told in Offred's stream-of-consciousness point of view in her mind, a reconstruction of her past. There are times in her narrative where she says "this isn't how it happened," in brief glimpses of humor in even the darkest of circumstances. I read the book feeling like I was inside her mind listening to her thoughts, something that is reinforced by Atwood's writing style and the omission of quotation marks.

There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from.

Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.

This is my fourth time reading The Handmaid's Tale and each time it impresses me in different ways; this time was particularly jarring considering the current political climate in the United States and how desensitized we are to everything going on around us. This book is horrifying, casting a light on the darkest parts of society. It is beautifully written and heart wrenching, and I recommend that everyone reads it. And then watches the television series because it is also brilliant.



Re-read in preparation for season 2, which is available on on Hulu April 25! Season 2 trailer.

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[adamfortuna]

This was the first book I read in 2013 by a female author -- after reading 36 other books. After finishing it, my initial reaction wasn't altogether positive. The more I reflected on the book, I came to realize how amazing a world Atwood created in this dystopian tale. Not one of my all-time favorites, but still great storytelling.

[adastra]

A brilliant but utterly depressing dystopian novel. Depressing because when I watch American news, the Republic of Gilead seems *this* close to reality. It's scary that in a country with a very long history of religious nutjobs there are still enough religious nutjobs who could set up a theocratic government and turn women into breeding machines.

[jamiereadthis]

Scarily Orwellian... a forewarning classic for sure, but not quite my favorite Atwood.

[ibeforem]

I was a little frightened of reading this book. I’m not a big fan of dystopian fiction, and I was afraid it was going to be too over-the-top, too unbelievable. But I was pleasantly surprised... While this isn’t particularly a happy story, it was an interesting one. Offred’s world seems unreal to me, but not unbelievable. And I especially liked the open-ended conclusion. Maybe Offred got away? Maybe society has reverted somewhat back to the "norm"? We don’t know for sure, but there’s enough there to give you a little twinge of hope. I am glad this is something I waited to read, because I think if I had read it when I was younger, I wouldn’t have understood it fully.

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....
The Handmaid's Tale is an incredible novel that everyone should read. This shocking tale explains the consequences of religious extremism gone too far. As the reader, you are left with an impression of confusion and continual questioning. In the world that we are accustomed to, religious persecution is minimal. Books like this help us to realize what can happen when power falls into the wrong hands. It presents an interesting commentary of the sexual and intellectual consequences a society faces when it oppresses and restricts the roles of women. I found this novel both intriguing and eye-opening. It is a quick read, drawing you immediately to the bizarre world and situation.

I read this for school. I had to read it more than once for school. To be fair, the writing and plot is a solid 3 stars - but I hated this book so much. I really struggled to get through it. I found it scary and depressing and it made me angry. If you like serious dystopian style novels confronting serious issues - this is your book. But I would rather just burn it.