EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion
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A Handmaid's Tale - *SPOILERS*
I'm 1/3 of the way through this book, an I am truly enjoying it; I've always loved dystopian novels. The only downfall is that I keep picturing my grandmother's house as the commander's house.
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When Offred first arrives at the house, Serena is mentioned to limp down the hallway from the front door. That was the first similarity, her homestead is the only one I know where the front entrance is secluded by a small hallway. There is a small office that my grandfather used to be the only one allowed into off of that first initial hallway, which I associate with the commander's quarters. Offred then describes going downstairs in the commander's house, and the layout of the house is exactly how I would describe my grandmother's house. Upstairs, the bedrooms are surrounding a hardwood-floor hallway with a runner (although not the color rose) and her staircase bends mid-way. The hallway at the bottom of the staircase walks you past the living room then dining room and finally the kitchen is perpendicular to the end. (All rooms have doors as mentioned in the book, but the are the sliding ones that tuck into the wall, so they are typically never visible). The back door (in the kitchen) leads onto her sun porch and finally into my grandmothers garden, similar to Serena's garden. Finally, Offred describes the decor of the upstairs bathroom, blue, again another similarity.
It's one of those things that now I've made the connection, everything that happens in the book, happens in that house. The ceremony is extra creepy thinking of it taking place, for instance, in my dad's old bedroom! Haha!!
Finished! The ending threw me off, and the lack of quotation marks sometimes confused me, but overall I loved this book and gave it 4 stars! If the ending were to be altered, it would set it up for a great sequel!
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Sarah - SAME the ending was kind of abrupt and felt unfinished? rushed? unsatisfying? Not sure I can't tell if I like it or not, how Offred was so trapped and then just... wasn't. Can't decide if I like the fact that things were left unresolved (which made me that much angrier at the whole situation) or I dislike that none of the struggle actually amounted to any vindication.
Kaseadilla, have you ever read Stuart Little? It has the same kind of abrupt ending that makes you feel like you traveled 2,000 miles just to suddenly end up back home again never having reached a new destination! Made me wonder if the ending was rushed for a reason, I know E.B. White rushed his Stuart Little ending because he was convinced he was going to die soon and just wanted to get it published. I'll have to look into if there is a reason, or if Atwood thought this ending out and this was her intent all along. It's disappointing when you get attached to a character and there's all this build up about escape, then as soon as you hit the climax you're shut out without any idea of if the character obtained the #1 goal of the whole story! All that being said, the historical ending was pretty clever and it definitely makes you think about how we interpret history in the present and what is based on facts or fabrications.
What is* I sure do wish there was an option to edit on here!
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I'm new to this group and this was my first monthly read. I was at both time disturbed and entranced by this book. I couldn't get over how terrifying this world would be to be a part of as a women but couldn't put it down at the same time. I wanted/needed to know what becomes of our flawed protagonist and thought the ending was very clever. The Historical ending, I felt, was a great way to end this book. Although the narrated ending felt abrupt (my kindle told me it was over at this point) I'm very glad I kept reading. I was a History major in college and I found a lot of satisfaction in the speculation. We don't always know what happens to real or fictional characters after we meet them but through review of history we can attempt to speculate and put some pieces back together with other sources/accounts. On a side note, I'm sad to say I had never even heard of this book before it was a suggested read on here. That being said, I'm glad I stumbled across it as it was a provocative read. I feel an expanded sense of appreciation for the life we get to live in our world than in the one of this novel. Excellent choice!
I looked it up and Atwood's ending to this book was definitely her vision for the book. It was definitely an interesting spin, unique.
I just finished this tonight. So many thoughts about this book!! I posted a review on my account, but I'll say some additional things here. I liked the realistic atmosphere created in this dystopian world. I felt pain, worry and anger while reading this book. Typically when reading dystopian novels, my reaction is "oh wow!" because the ideas are so crazy. In The Handmaid's Tale, my reaction is "oh shit!" because of the realism. I liked the ending, which I think a lot of readers would disagree with me. I enjoy when you're left wanting the story to go on just a little bit more. Whichever future awaited Offred makes sense to me. If she is sent to the colonies, is she really that much worse off? I don't think so. If she is salvaged, or put to death in another way, again, is she any worse off? If she makes it out of Gilead, I feel happy for her freedom. I think because I knew what options there were for Offred's ending gave me enough satisfaction without needing to know exactly where she was headed, if that makes sense.
I can understand why some don't make it past the first 50 pages. It wasn't until the action picked up that I could look back and realize that Atwood was setting up how this society was supposed to work at all levels. The handmaids led a tedious existence with plenty of time to observe their surroundings. Once we got beneath the surface to find out how people at all levels were breaking the rules, these details became part of the story. It's wonderful storytelling. I liked this book a lot.The end was abrupt. At the time my reaction was "What? Come on! Really?" Now that a few days have gone by, I like the ambiguous ending. Did Offred make it to a better life? Probably not, but since I don't know I am left with a smidgen of hope.
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I heard about that! I will definitely be watching it! I'm really surprised it hasn't been made into a movie yet.
Strike my last sentence! Apparently this was made into a movie in 1990!
The girl at the counter of the store I just bought this from told me they're making a series and who's in it, it sounds good! I'm dying to get this book read before it comes out so I can watch...
Sarah wrote: "Kaseadilla, have you ever read Stuart Little? It has the same kind of abrupt ending that makes you feel like you traveled 2,000 miles just to suddenly end up back home again never having reached a ..."That is fascinating and I didn't look at it that way until you said that. The book pulls upon a lot of history and now (and probably then) current events. Like women having to cover themselves up, not being given an education, arranged marriages, etc etc. Women in history have made progress or the societies were a little more liberal to begin with and then something happens. The society gets wiped out by another one and now no one has freedom. A new religion shows up and now all the freedom that was there before is done etc etc. Maybe that ending, aside from the fact that if it is a "history" than this is a viable ending shows that you might revolt and fight but in the end you are right back where you started at square one whatever that is.
Like what happened over the course of those Matrix movies and also more or less what happened in (view spoiler)
Better late than never! I enjoyed this book and knew it wasn't going to have a perfectly packaged ending so I was pleasantly surprised with what I got.An easy read and I finished quickly enough but I wasn't blown away by it- I can't wait to start watching the show as I feel a little more padding is exactly what this story needs.
Christina wrote: "I'm 1/3 of the way through this book, an I am truly enjoying it; I've always loved dystopian novels. The only downfall is that I keep picturing my grandmother's house as the commander's house."I always pictured this book happening in the Shenandoah valley. Just from the style of houses and the small-town ness of it.
Kaseadillla wrote: "Anyone see that they're making a show out of this? Haven't decided if I'll watch..."The show is really good. I read the book a few years ago and enjoyed it, but I really enjoy the show. The producers of the show also said that they found the ending of the book a bit abrupt, so they plan to develop that more and show how the society dismantles rather than just suddenly dropping you off the cliff.
The first season of the show is on Hulu, and the second should be coming soon. I think this month, but I may be getting it mixed up with The Crown.
The ending might have felt abrupt because Offred had a weird character arc. She seems to be getting gradually more self-aware, then she suddenly flattens at about the 2/3 mark. It becomes clear that she is not escaping through her own agency. I was not terribly surprised when a van rolled up out of nowhere because I knew it was either that or suicide.
I really liked this one! And the tv show was even better (in my opinion).
I am not a fan of dystopia, so when I first picked this book up years ago i never finished it. In a way, I"m glad I didn't. I don't think the younger me would have understood how realistic and scary the new society was. I would just have been angry and screaming "unjust!" and all that riot. Now, however, I see the world with real fear. Its such a scary thing to read a book where women are basically cattle and realize that it can happen at any moment.My audio book has an essay at the end that talked about how Atwood decided that everything she would put in her book had to have already happened. Nothing in the book is made up, fictional, nothing in the book is "futuristic" at all. The laws, rites, customs that appear "made up" have actually happened in here and there in the world. Its really scary because it mean this book is true, is real... its more of a reorganization of ideals and practices.
My sister has watched the first season, and she says its great. I wanted to watch it as well, but I needed to read the book first. Now I just need to get Hulu...
I am almost finished with this book. Its pretty good. What channel was the show on t.v. Its kind of a scary book. Men have always taken the bible verses and distorted them for their own purposes. You cannot take the verses out of context. And the bible was written 2,000 years ago so the culture does not apply either.
Renee wrote: "I am almost finished with this book. Its pretty good. What channel was the show on t.v. Its kind of a scary book. Men have always taken the bible verses and distorted them for their own purposes. Y..."It's on Hulu. It's a Hulu original series.
I've just finished this book. I'm glad I've finally read it but it didn't blow me away. I thought it started off a bit slow but the last third was great. The whole idea is pretty terrifying and the sex scene with the three characters was disturbing. I quite liked the commander's character, and found myself wishing for more of him. Enjoyable read overall, but ends quite abruptly. Not that I particularly want to know what happened to her afterwards.
This dystopian world is so entrancing. The book left me begging for more stories from Gilead!
Finished reading this weekend and needed some days to collect my thoughts. Wonderfully written book, and agree with the people that liked the ending. Couldn't have been done better - the only other believable way out would be for her to commit suicide and follow even more in the footsteps of Offred before.I believe that the essay that Daniela is talking about could be this one from NY Times (anyway worth a read): Margaret Atwood on What ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Means in the Age of Trump
Hi everyone, this is my first read in the group and also my first Margaret Atwood book (my mum has been trying to get me to read her for years!) I normally prefer books set in the 'real' world but did enjoy it nonetheless although the main character did annoy me at times. I proffered the character of Moira but I think Atwood did well to portray a wide range of characters and found myself wondering which role I would find myself in in this dystopian society. I'm looking forward to watching the tv series now.
Siobhan wrote: "Hi everyone, this is my first read in the group and also my first Margaret Atwood book (my mum has been trying to get me to read her for years!) I normally prefer books set in the 'real' world but ..."I understand preferring Moira because she's the "spunky, independent heroine" we all love to read about. But I think Atwood wanted a more real look on life. Because let's face it, heroines in real life are rare. Most people, myself included, go with the flow. If we are told tomorrow "Yellow is illegal to wear" we would murmur and scoff, post viral yellow videos... but after a few years we would just stop wearing yellow. Its not a big thing to fight over, so why bother? Its this kind of situation, these small liberties taken from those who don't really want to fight against small things that result in the society they live in. The main character explains it well when she backtracks, and explains why she never became Moira. Or, even better, her mother. This is the view of the average Joe, someone we don't like to read about because she's much too real. We want to be Moira instead.
Sorry for this, but its my best example:
Its kind of why most people don't like Ron, from HP. He's too average, too blinded by real emotional issues we face in reality. We all love Hermione because she's exactly what we WANT to be... we want to be smart, to be courageous, to never be wrong.
Emma_folk wrote: "Finished reading this weekend and needed some days to collect my thoughts. Wonderfully written book, and agree with the people that liked the ending. Couldn't have been done better - the only other..."
Yes! That's the essay! Its great, in my opinion. It was added on to the Special Edition audible recording.
Siobhan wrote: "Hi everyone, this is my first read in the group and also my first Margaret Atwood book (my mum has been trying to get me to read her for years!) I normally prefer books set in the 'real' world but ..."I also preferred Moira's character at first, especially since Offred's passiveness (in my opinion) could be interpreted as apathy or even weakness. The fact that all those outrageous things were happening and she seemed, not unconcerned exactly, just lacking that fire, the will to escape or just commit suicide. Then I put myself in her shoes, and I realised I was judging her too harshly. In her place, I doubt I would have had the fortitude to do anything but follow orders passively, or more likely, I would gone mad.
This book was difficult for me to read, both in structure and context. I will say, when I read about Offred losing her bank account and job, that's when it really hit home for me. I was furious, which is the sign of a well written book. Before that I was having a hard time comprehending how the world got to this place, with handmaid's and guardians and such. From that point on it started to make sense and that's when I really got into the book even though it repulsed me a lot of the time.I will say I'm glad I read it, just more difficult to digest than I thought it would be. I am currently watching the Hulu special as well, which is quite good so far!
Daniela wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Hi everyone, this is my first read in the group and also my first Margaret Atwood book (my mum has been trying to get me to read her for years!) I normally prefer books set in the '..."OMG, I never thought about that before! Personally, I like Ron, but I also LOVE Hermione, this makes sooooo much sense. Thank you for pointing that out :D
Was anyone else totally fascinated by Serena Joy, the Commander's wife? I felt like she played this duel role of villain and victim. On the one hand she was cold and literally the face of this new society of female subjugation but on the other she was caught in the same trap with an unfaithful husband and no voice. She was socially and physically hobbled. Really fascinating and I think the most complex caricature but I couldn't decide what I thought of her.
Ashley wrote: "Was anyone else totally fascinated by Serena Joy, the Commander's wife? I felt like she played this duel role of villain and victim. On the one hand she was cold and literally the face of this new ..."Yess! I thought Serena was the most interesting character in the book. I really like the duality of her role, as you mentoioned. She was a well known TV personality and made a career around singing and spreading this religious ideas but when this ideas became law and ruled their society, she lost it all. I just really like the irony of it.
Ashley wrote: "Was anyone else totally fascinated by Serena Joy, the Commander's wife? I felt like she played this duel role of villain and victim. On the one hand she was cold and literally the face of this new ..."I kept being reminded of Tammy Faye Baker. Does anyone else remember her?
Renee wrote: "I kept being reminded of Tammy Faye Baker. Does anyone else remember her?" I think that's a great parallel, especially because of the public persona versus the private lives of both couples. Atwood shows us throughout The Handmaid's Tale that those at the top, the ones who preached and fought for this future society, are not able to live within it. The Commander, someone high up in the hierarchy, is unfaithful (among many other things) while Serena Joy encourages a relationship with Nick to serve her own goals. The same is true of Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband who preached one thing and then acted counter to that in their private lives, unable to live by their own high standards or maybe just corrupted by their sudden power.
The Handmaids Tale came out in 1985 as Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were just starting to crack (Their empire fell in 1987). I wonder how much Atwood was influenced by it.
The Tammy Faye Bakker connection is a good one. It was startling to see where Serena Joy started out and how much she changed over time. I think she’s very complex in the show as well, and overall I think it’s been a great representation of the book.
I had to google her since it was before my time, but goodnesssssss..... the parallels are much to obvious. Did anyone else just want to rub it in Serena's face? If I had been Offred, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from saying things under my breath like "are you happy now? or "isn't this what you dreamed of?" or "you made me". I found her the true villain of this world, the commander was bland to me in comparison.
It was a really frightening and scary novel, but I loved it very much. My favorite character was the commander and I was hoping for something more of him, that maybe he would help Offred escape? I also have to agree that Serena Joy was the most complex character and I had mixed feelings for her, especially hatred and fear.
Hey all! This is the first book I have read as part of the group. I was enthusiastic about it because I have already watched the Hulu series on Handmaid's Tale (at least what has been released so far). I am happy to note that the series got the feel of the book dead-on. There is a sense of gloominess and loss-of-self that was excellently portrayed. The fear and the grotesque nature in this dystopian world were definitely demonstrated as well. While some plot points were different, none of them bothered me. I am just interested in seeing how the series will move on. Maybe we will find out what actually happens to Offred.... Now on to my thoughts on the book. Like some others have mentioned, there is a lack of quotation marks in the book. I actually liked this because it definitely added an element to the plot. It made everything more silent, if that makes sense. Offred is living in a world of mostly her thoughts, so the fact that there weren't many quotations exemplified her silent world, in my opinion.
The flashbacks were interesting. I was not necessarily a fan of any of the characters though. I do not support Offred's relationship with Luke. I thought Offred's relationship with her mother was pained and difficult to read (especially the bit about mothers not being satisfied with their daughters and vice versa). I did enjoy her relationship with Moira and wished I had known was the ending of Moira's story was. Serena was a complicated character, though in a way I understood her the best. She was just as trapped trying to make the best of her situation in a privileged kind of way. I felt the commander abused his role and while he did allow Offred an escape from her mundane existence, he did it at his expense, his family's expense, Nick's expense, and Offred's expense. It was particularly cruel considering his former handmaid hung herself. I was quite sad that Offred's walking partner had started to give up on her when she realized Offred was not trying to improve her own situation and help the cause. I wanted to know more about the eyes and the underground world.
I actually did not realize that the symposium at the end was part of the book. I thought the year shown was a typo and I was SUPER upset at the ending. Once I realized that the symposium was actually a continuation of the story, I was very intrigued and excited by this addition to the book. I don't think I have read any other story that uses a "study" of the book to their advantage? I guess it would be unique to stories like fictional dystopian memoirs? Either way, I loved it. I do still feel a sense of "I want to know what happened to her!" but I guess there is a beauty to not knowing. This is not exactly the kind of story that needs an ending. The fact that the symposium gives us a glimpse into the future is nice, because it shows that there was an end to the cruel and unusual behaviors women were facing during this period.
I enjoyed reading the NYT piece that Margaret Atwood wrote this past year. It gave me some more information on the story. I will say I do not exactly agree with her views on whether or not it is a feminist novel. I certainly think it is much more so than she does. One last thing: I was horrified that all of the events that took place have occurred at some point in history. This was a particularly chilling element to the book and was very interesting.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. I am interested in knowing what anyone else thinks about my comments!
Just finished this. I actually read it back in the eighties when it first came out but didn't remember any of it. I find it very interesting contrasting the way things actually are now in the world compared to how they are in the book, which I believe is supposed to take place around 2015. I enjoyed it much more as a mature woman and got a lot more out of it than i did as a 20 year old.
The Handmaid's Tale is a book I picked up one or twice but never actually got around to reading. I was annoyed with myself that I watched the new Hulu series before reading the source material but now having read the book I'm not annoyed at all. It's a really good adaptation. Also, I think I would have been a little too young to really get it before now. As for the book, what I appreciated most was the small nods to the fact that things were changing before anyone really noticed. There's the big one we get like the fact that there were no co-ed dorms when Offred was in college but there was also that implication that she had no idea what a Playboy bunny was.
I also loved the line "we lived in the gaps between the stories" because it really showed how living like that, ignoring what's going on because it doesn't affect you, can turn out. Offred is now part of the story but she's not being written about, she's telling her own story and that's important.
Helen wrote: "Like some others have mentioned, there is a lack of quotation marks in the book. I actually liked this because it definitely added an element to the plot"I've read so many books without quotation marks that it's not something that phases me anymore. Offred's makes the point herself that this is all a reconstruction. Thus, nothing within is really quotes. She's created conversations that may or may not have occurred.
As readers, we're just so used to dialogue being in quotes even if its' not a thing that was necessarily said. I'm thinking memoirs. Nothing within is 100% accurate but a representation of events.
Then you have the layer that this is a record that was transcribed from audio. It would have been up to the editor as to how they wanted to present the account. There are quotation marks in some parts. I haven't dug into it too much but I'm sure if you did you'd find a consistency as to when they are used vs not. Just flipping back through it seems like the parts furthest in the past are the parts without quotes which makes sense because they are going to be the most reconstructed.
Beryl wrote: “I find it very interesting contrasting the way things actually are now in the world compared to how they are in the book, which I believe is supposed to take place around 2015..."I think that’s part of what makes this such a frightening story. I was living in Texas when they did the last go round of conscience clauses for pharmacists (it looks like they’re doing it again now) and I remember my friends and I hoarding birth control and emergency contraception in case we needed it but couldn’t access it in time. It was scary to think that was a part of the modern world we lived in, and in a lot of way access to family planning services has gotten worse since then.
Emma_folk wrote: "Finished reading this weekend and needed some days to collect my thoughts. Wonderfully written book, and agree with the people that liked the ending. Couldn't have been done better - the only other..."Thanks for the link to the NYT interview with Margaret Atwood. I really felt (hoped??) the point of the book wasn't to condemn religion altogether but rather to show what happens when it becomes a tool of power, and the interview confirmed it. To me, a major takeaway of the book was how impersonal and cookie-cutter everything became in this society. Roles assigned arbitrarily and punitively.... no meaningful relationships because trust disappeared (even in the upper social echelons).... destruction of families, even within supposed concern for "family values" (I hate that term, it's so politicized by now as to be meaningless).
I actually felt the epilogue was genius, as it not only seemed realistic, but it was intriguing to consider the story in this hypothetical retrospective. I also found it hopeful, as the tone made it clear that 1) the structures of Gideon as described by Offred no longer existed; and 2) the fact that Offred had been able to dictate her memoirs meant that she had been able to escape to a place sympathetic enough that she had freedom to do it! I was left wondering, more than anything else, what had happened to her daughter - I hoped she was able to find that out for herself.
Cassinator wrote: "This book was difficult for me to read, both in structure and context. I will say, when I read about Offred losing her bank account and job, that's when it really hit home for me. I was furious, wh..."
Me too... I remember soon after I started reading, I kept thinking how I wanted to know how this happened - what was the back story about how society ended up in such a horrifying place. It was sobering to consider that murder of the President and Congress were the primary setting of the stage for this hostile takeover. I've always been concerned anytime it's been said, "if this or that happens, they'll have to declare martial law"- at that point in this book, the Constitution was set aside. Without going any further, being sensitized to losses of freedom is a pain we should never be willing to give away.
My final impression was that even though, for me, this book started off a little slow, it was definitely a worthwhile and important read! Really enjoy seeing others' thoughts as well :)
I'm soooo conflicted about this book. The worldbuilding is terrifyingly amazing. The characterization is superb. But man, nothing happens. I say this as a Robin Hobb fan, so I'm all right with some navel-gazing. I was a third of the way through before I figured out that nothing was EVER going to happen. This was not going to be a traditional dystopian story, with a hero and a villain. (Ironically, it's the formulaic nature of dystopia that makes me not a fan.)
But I expected more than this. I don't even mind the ending--I mind the overall lack of resolution. The fact that we know Gilead ceases to exist makes me even more curious to know what brought about its end. And so I'm left feeling...unfinished.
I think I'll go cleanse my action palate with some Dan Brown or something.
EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up...
Books mentioned in this topic
The Testaments (other topics)The Testaments (other topics)
The Sympathizer (other topics)
The Handmaid’s Tale (other topics)
This discussion is FULL OF SPOILERS. If you haven't read the book and don't want to ruin the ending, please head on over to the spoiler free discussion HERE .
Happy reading!!