The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) in Reading 1001

Jul 08, 2018 Bryan--The Bee’s Knees rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: boxall-read, guardian-read, books-i-read-in-2018, audio-edition

I debated between one and two stars, but given the amount of thought I put into the book, I eventually went with two.

I would think that this book really needs no synopsis, but just in case: an unnamed narrator describes her life in the not-far future when the U.S. has broken apart into smaller theocratic states. 'Gilead', the state where the narrator lives is, from the sound of it, a state run on terror and strict adherence to the Bible--strict enough that, when the shortage of new births reache I debated between one and two stars, but given the amount of thought I put into the book, I eventually went with two.

I would think that this book really needs no synopsis, but just in case: an unnamed narrator describes her life in the not-far future when the U.S. has broken apart into smaller theocratic states. 'Gilead', the state where the narrator lives is, from the sound of it, a state run on terror and strict adherence to the Bible--strict enough that, when the shortage of new births reaches a crisis point, divorced women, or those who are on their second or consequent marriages have their freedom removed and become 'handmaids', and are assigned to Gilead's elite for the purpose of procreation (which is based on an event from the Old Testament). While the handmaids' situation is deplorable, all women find their freedoms strictly curtailed, as the fascist/theocratic rulers seek to return a dominant patriarchy.

When I read a book, and the situation in which the characters are placed fills me with a sense of discomfort or even outrage, it's important to me to try and determine why I'm feeling that way. I suppose there are many reasons why, maybe some that I'm not even aware of--but a couple spring to mind.

The first is that perhaps I've been made aware of something that I had been blind to before--as if I suddenly found out about a human trafficking network in my city. Since THT is fiction, this wouldn't really apply, unless there was an aspect to the story that seemed insightful and revealing, and opened my eyes to something I'd never considered. In relation to THT, one might ask the question, 'is such a thing, or anything even remotely like it, possible?' That is something that I've never really considered, and had Margaret Atwood been able to convince me that there is a latent instinct within our present society to move ourselves closer to a Gilead-type existence, an instinct that is only waiting for the right circumstances to reveal itself, then that would certainly be a source of discomfort--to the point of activism, I think.

Another source of discomfort could come from being defensive. As a man, reading a story where men have reduced women to Handmaids, drudge-like Marthas, or elitist but sterile Wives, there is a distinct possibility for discomfort. I thought very hard about this reason because I did feel defensive while reading. (I am sidestepping the religious aspect and focusing solely on the relationship between men and women in the story because for me, that stood out as the most emphatic element. The idea of an immanent theocracy, or of the dangers of a takeover of the U.S. by hard-right Christians seemed like a minor, though definitely present, theme.) There are definitely very few men in this story that have any redeeming characteristics, and even the one who does remains shadowy because of the way the novel ends.

Finally (though there may be many other reasons, as I said), outrage can happen as a result of the author's skill at manipulating events--the novelistic version of a straw man argument. The fact that this book makes dozens of 'best-of' lists would indicate to me that people have found within it more than just an entertaining tale. It also indicates that it resonates somehow, that it has been able to put into words a feeling that some people have--that there is that latent instinct within our society, one that still desires to strip away the rights and freedoms of women. People who may feel this way probably didn't need Margaret Atwood to open their eyes to it, but a book like this would certainly fan any flames that were already burning.

The question to me is not 'is Gilead possible', but 'is there anything that The Handmaid's Tale tells us (me) about ourselves (myself)?' Depending on how you answer that question will go a long way toward determining the value you put on the book. ...more

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Oct 23, 2016 Karen Van Gundy rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016, 100-book-bucket-list-poster

I know this is not the popular opinion, but this one wasn't my favorite. The scattered thought process and the jumping around was very unsettling to me. The overall story was enjoyable and very thought provoking which is keeping this as a so-so and not a pan. Not sure if this was due to listening to this as opposed to actually reading. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Nicole R rated it really liked it

The Handmaid's Tale was an extremely interesting book about how society can change in the blink of an eye. Offred was once a working woman, married with a daughter, and her best friend and mom stopped by often. After the coup, she is now a handmaid and her sole purpose in life is to bear children for the Commander and his wife. Unfortunately, women no longer easily get pregnant and those that do seldom give birth to healthy children.

I found it very interesting that one of the reasons continuousl ...more

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Nov 02, 2015 Nemo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, 1001-books-to-read

Must read!

“Falling in love, we said; I fell for him. We were falling women. We believed in it, this downward motion: so lovely, like flying, and yet at the same time so dire, so extreme, so unlikely. God is love, they once said, but we reversed that, and love, like heaven, was always just around the corner. The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting, always, for the incarnation. That word, made flesh.

And somet ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Kaycie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001_read

I'm still not 100% sure how I felt about this book. At first, I strongly disliked the style of narration, but I did find that I quickly became accustomed to it and forgot about it.

I was drawn deeply into Offred's story, and felt pretty strongly for the women in her society. This message in this book is made much more compelling due to the fact that the women in this oppressive society were actually born into a "free" society not unlike our own. It is scary to think that our society as we know it ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: feb-book-count, 1001-bymrbyd, page-turners, 2018

A reread but I first read it back in high school so really didn't remember much about it, other than a general overview. I have nothing to base this on but my own memory of my reading experience but I would say that when I read it originally, it was probably the first dystopian novel that I ever read. That category of books is still one of my favorites. The book still leaves many questions in my mind...i.e. whatever happened to Offred, what became of her husband and child, was her life based on ...more

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