From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)

Margaret Atwood

Start date: May 1, 2024

Finish date: May 31, 2024

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: May 2024 - Bookshelf Catch-Up
Group Pick for May '19 - Bookshelf Catch-up
Group Pick for Dec '17 - Bookshel…more
[close] May 2024 - Bookshelf Catch-Up
Group Pick for May '19 - Bookshelf Catch-up
Group Pick for Dec '17 - Bookshelf Catch-up
Group Pick for Nov' 16 - Modern Classic/Popular

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MODERN / POPULAR READS

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What Members Thought

Apr 06, 2017 Ian Anderson rated it it was ok · review of another edition

For those who have Amazon Prime and haven't read this yet, you can access it for no additional charge through Prime Reading, which is what I did. Just looking out.

I thought this book would have more of an impact on me than it did. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it overall but something was missing from my experience. Maybe it was the monotonous inner monologue, or the fragmented writing style, or the fact that dystopian novels are not usually my go to. I've read so far a few of the essentials; For those who have Amazon Prime and haven't read this yet, you can access it for no additional charge through Prime Reading, which is what I did. Just looking out.

I thought this book would have more of an impact on me than it did. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it overall but something was missing from my experience. Maybe it was the monotonous inner monologue, or the fragmented writing style, or the fact that dystopian novels are not usually my go to. I've read so far a few of the essentials; including 1984, Fahrenheit 451, The Giver, Brave New World, Animal Farm and now The Handmaid's Tale. While I did enjoy all of them, a few more than others, none of them have stuck out as a favorite book of mine with the exception of Animal Farm. So maybe it's just not my thing, I don't know. It's not like I keep striking out, it's more like I hit a pop fly for the out but the runner on third tags up for home and still puts a point on the board.

Okay, random analogy, I'll get back to the book. The Handmaid's Tale has one terrifying idea and message that I knew about going in. One that I was excited about. The writing right off the bat (there I go again) was a bit of an adjustment. The sentence structure is broken up and the story is non-linear, often jumping between past and present in the mind of Offred. Once I got the hang of it the story flowed a bit more, but I still found myself having to reread parts quite frequently, which may have disrupted how immersed I became. It has a lot of very graphic, shock value induced moments that I won't forget anytime soon. One thing that sticks with me is how Offred began to accept her fate and even started forgetting her past, making excuses for the way she was forced to live. The Handmaid's Tale definitely leaves the reader with a lot to think about. I look forward to watching the new TV series coming up as I feel it has the potential to be an incredible series for Hulu.

“When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” ...more

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Aug 06, 2020 Montse rated it it was ok

Shelves: 100-books, fiction, bookclub

Hace una semana que terminé el libro, y no había escrito mi reseña porque estaba enojada. Enojada conmigo y que no me hubiera gustado. Siento una decepción similar a cuando leí Cumbres Borrascosas; libros que son un "must", adelantados a su tiempo, muy aclamados, y que al final a mi, una simple mortal, no le gustaron.

El contexto, el mundo que crea Atwood, es escalofriante, a la vez que abrumador, incluso tuve pesadillas con el libro; las violaciones, los robos de bebés, la pérdida de libertad, l ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 Nico rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Un romanzo ambientato in un futuro alternativo dove le poche donne ancora fertili vengono usate come uteri in affitto per le famiglie più importanti della dittatura vigente. La narrazione in alcuni punti accelera e poi torna indietro e infine torna al ritmo incessante del presente.
Il lettore cerca appigli ed informazioni per completare il quadro della società e di chi la abita ma non può perché solo pochissimo viene rivelato, solo il poco che la narratrice e protagonista sa ed ha capito. Anche ...more

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Jun 17, 2018 Jayesh Naithani rated it liked it · review of another edition

Are there any questions?
That was the last line of the historical notes chapter at the end. And I still have a few after having read this book. One of those books where the reader has to arrive towards the end of the book, and read the cliff notes section for help to complete their understanding of what they have just read. Not a long book at all. And not so easy to read because if one isn't paying close attention in certain places one will have to go back and re-read pages to fill the attention ...more

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