With a vague threat that is never properly addressed and a survivor’s account that fails to showcase any motive or lack thereof, the handmaiden’s tale fails to hold the reader engaged.

The story is an oppressed individual’s account of survivorship, we are never clearly told as to what exactly the oppression is and to what means is the survivorship edging towards. With all actions taken by any individual in the book being inconsequential, the whole book turns out to be, for the lack of a more appropriate way to put this, one heck of a diary entry of a teen who objectively documents every frame of her life.

The writing deserves some credit, with the peppered linguistic tools adding some beauty to the story, but that is as far as it goes. There were certain points, especially during the salvaging, where the writer demonstrates his prowess by depicting the emotions of rage and violence and contrasts them well with the thought process of a trained mind. Another noteworthy aspect is the depiction and evolution of the mother-daughter relationship, which, being the one thing that progresses in the book, has been properly laid out and explained in detail. Everything else, especially the parts about intimacy are painstaking to read and donot have any virtue by themselves

All in all the handmaiden’s tale is a slightly below average but definitely an infuriating read, which leaves the readers asking for more, not because they were mesmerized by it, but because it fails to provide the bare minimum required to satiate one’s reasoning perspective.

Ik heb dit boek na - ik denk - 25 jaar herlezen. Dit omdat overal werd geschreven, dat na alle toestanden met Trump het onderwerp van dit boek weer erg actueel is. Dat laatste vind ik wat overdreven, maar het blijft een bijzonder goed boek. Ik neem aan, dat iedereen wel weet waar het over gaat.

One of the best distopias you'll ever read.

Interesting to say the least. I couldn’t put it down but in the end it left me with more questions than answers. Ripe for a sequel! Now I’m going to watch the Hulu series.

Wow. This book is haunting. A must read.

Dystopian book, great if you like the hunger games (more intense)

Wow. I usually do not like dystopia fiction, but the world presented in this book has fascinating links to our society. This book's intention can be interpreted in many different ways, whether it be to shed light on the oppression of women, promoting feminism, or shedding light on the oppression of lower classes. It's focus on the female race is extremely modest and 'realistic', in which I'm sure people will find it hard to label this book as misandry. It is truly a game changing piece for me.

ARE U SERIOUSLY FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW

I like Atwood books; they always have a pretty interesting and fast-paced plot that makes them fun to read. This is a dystopian novel that suggests that the shifting roles of men and women have consequences for society and that not everyone is happy with the shift.

Very different, but quite interesting!

It was interesting that the world would change so much. Back to the dark ages when women were nothing more than birthing machines. The story told by Offred, not her real name, is one of several women whom are fertile and therefore raped by the Commander while his wife holds her down. Although, there is no struggle and she goes to him "willingly" - she is being forced to do so or face the consequences of being sent to a brothel - yes they still exist or some are hanged for resisting. In the book, she does not see her husband or child again and we don't know what happens to her.
I have not watched the TV series which from what I've heard is a little different.

One of the most haunting books I've read - it left me feeling anger, frustration, and the realization that such an oddity, such outrageous societal behavior could actually.be.possible. Devour the pages and contemplate what we need to do to prevent these horrors from becoming our reality.