From the Bookshelf of 2025 Reading Challenge…

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

Margaret Atwood

Start date: March 1, 2017

Finish date: March 31, 2017

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Taylor C

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Group Reads

* December Group Read Nominations
By Carri Carey , TBR Twins · 1 post · 5 views

last updated 37 minutes ago

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* Group Read Rules and Timelines
By Winter , Group Reads · 1 post · 2556 views

last updated Jan 23, 2016 02:35AM

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What Members Thought

May 16, 2014 Ami rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, science-fiction, favorites, 2014, dystopic, alternate-reality, banned-or-challenged-books, 2017

This is one of those books I read as a kid that was well above my maturity level and I probably shouldn't have read it at the time (I was somewhere in my early to mid teens, I think but I could have been younger) except that I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.

At that time, I can remember this being a difficult read. I really had to push myself to read it and I really didn't understand any of it. There were so many nuances I missed and since my family wasn't religious I didn't get the bib This is one of those books I read as a kid that was well above my maturity level and I probably shouldn't have read it at the time (I was somewhere in my early to mid teens, I think but I could have been younger) except that I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.

At that time, I can remember this being a difficult read. I really had to push myself to read it and I really didn't understand any of it. There were so many nuances I missed and since my family wasn't religious I didn't get the bible references either.

However, 20 years later with a bit more knowledge and wisdom under my belt, an awareness of current world events I certainly did not have then, as well as a better understanding of the bible I found myself reading it again.

Lately I've gotten disgusted with myself because I found that I'm mostly reading fluff. Not that those books were bad; many of them were very good. But they weren't really engaging me. I feel I've gotten lazy in my choice of reading material. And I certainly can't chastise my bookworm of a daughter for doing the exact thing I was doing, just on a different scale. So I started adding classics, poetry, biographies, etc. back to my monthly TBR pile. I came across this on the staff's recommended shelf at the library and snagged in on a whim. It took me another month and having to recheck it to actually read it, but I'm so happy I did.

I understood it so much better and it's now actually one of my favorite books. When I added this to Goodreads a couple of years ago when I was busy rating books, I gave 3 stars but I have a feeling if I'd rated it immediately after I'd first read it, it would have only been 1 or 2. Now I place it at about 4.5

This is a brilliant social commentary. What's so scary about this is that it really could happen so easily. I've read a lot of the comments on this and several people stated they didn't understand and found it unbelievable that a coup could be staged so quickly. Well, technically, it really wasn't. Little freedoms had slowly eroded, laws were eased into place, etc. that the people either generally agreed with or didn't see the harm. Offred made a few statements alluding to that. By the time people did realize what was happening, it was too late and they were trapped. There was a lot of unrest leading up to it and it seems natural disasters, the low birthrate, etc. That coup when the radicals had taken over the government was well planned to have gone off so easily. And the historical notes at the end mentioned a think tank. I highly doubt that group of men arose overnight from the ashes; they would have been colluding and planning for some time.

People were scared. They were dying and disappearing. They were being tortured. That is why they went along with it. They also didn't realize exactly what was going on at first. Offred mentions that in reference to Moira being able to escape dressed as an Aunt. Look at the historical documents for Germany and WWII. It was basically the same thing.

What can be confusing about this book is that when it mentions the 80's, people start envisioning OUR timeline but you really can't do that. It may take place in our country but it is certainly not the same timeline. If you read it from the point of view that it's a slightly different parallel dimension or alternate reality, it's much easier. This is science fiction after all.

What keeps this from a full 5 stars for me is that I wish to know more. What happened to the regime of Gilead and how was it brought down? And what happened to Offred and Luke? Etc. ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Linda Martin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, epistolary, dystopian, geo-massachusetts, 2016

This novel about a woman trapped in a Christianesque female subjugation cult theocracy is a page turner. It is very well-written. I was originally appalled that the author chose to characterize the oppressors as Christians because I am a Christian. However this cult government didn't resemble any Christianity I'm familiar with.

This was a cult suppressing women, and not Christian at all. Only certain parts of the Bible were read out loud to the women. This is typical of cults - to try to justify ...more

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Dec 17, 2016 Melanie rated it really liked it

Viewing the current political landscape this was very surreal to read this novel. The Handmaid's Tale looks at what becomes of the United States after political revolt. The story follows the story of Offred as she slowly tells how she became to be a servant to the Commander. The story is brutal, and violent but it is also an important piece of feminist literature.
...more

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Aug 03, 2021 Danielle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Apr 17, 2012 Claire rated it it was ok · review of another edition

It's a very strange topic while interesting at the same time. I was not happy with the ending, it left too many questions unanswered. It is scary to think this potentially could happen in the future. ...more

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Feb 26, 2021 Mekerei rated it really liked it

This book has been on my "to read shelf" for a while. I love how Atwood uses language. She look at different words and "the handmaiden" looks at each word and how many different was they can be used and was used. I felt this was a very powerful tool to show how different her world is compared to how it used tobe.

Its quite a terrifying tale of how society can change quickly. I actually thought that this is what happen in Iran in the 1970's. Women were educated and had a society that was starting ...more

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