Question #1: Significance of the Handmaid's Tale, then and now...

[[deleted user]]

The Handmaid’s Tale has returned to the bestseller list 32 years after it was first published. What does the novel’s return to popularity signify to you? How do you think the significance of this book has changed in the last 30 years?

[Rocio]

Actually I never read this book before, but it came to my attention last month when a post on social media described a group of women who dressed as the maids in the novel to protest in a session of the senate In Texas. Then I said to myself I have to read this book. There were some comments to the posting that said that the book must have been written as a result of the situation in the states and others had to clarify that it was written so long ago.

[Dana]

I read the book for the first time last month, it was actually my first Atwood book as well. Other than reading it for this group, the main reason I picked it up was because of the mini-series that is coming out at the end of April - it looks so good!

I think it means that her writing is still so relevant, especially with Trump, the ridiculousness of the US government vs. planned parenthood, etc. etc.

I just read a man's review of it and had to laugh: he noted how all dystopian novels in the last little while have been zombie-related, which would be more ideal than Atwood's dystopia!

[Kate]

Margaret Atwood and I have never gotten along in the past - maybe, as I think I've said before because I've always had to do her book for a class and rarely have had to pick her up for leisure reading. The Handmaid's Tale has been my favourite so far despite how horrifying plausible it seems; especially in the last few months.

[Susan]

I've been fascinated by the images that have been published of the forthcoming TV series, even though I haven't read the book. Oakville Public Library has a two-hour audio dramatization of the book, and it is fantastic! I just finished it. Here is a link to the catalog record for it if you wish to borrow it: https://opl.bibliocommons.com/item/sh...

Perhaps the scenario in the book has become even scarier and more plausible today than it was 30 years ago. The political climate in the States is making people think that anything is possible.

[Allison]

Rocio wrote: "Actually I never read this book before, but it came to my attention last month when a post on social media described a group of women who dressed as the maids in the novel to protest in a session o..."

Rocio, isn't it funny that people thought the book had been written because of current events!! Glad someone was able to point out when it was actually written (and by a Canadian writer, no less).

[Allison]

Dana wrote: "I read the book for the first time last month, it was actually my first Atwood book as well. Other than reading it for this group, the main reason I picked it up was because of the mini-series that..."

Dana, I agree on the timeless quality of Atwood's tale. She has great vision! Did you know that she was chosen first among all authors on an international scale to write a story for the Future Library project? Learn more here: https://www.futurelibrary.no/

[Ashley]

I am so intrigued by the responses, and delighted for the first time readers of the book. I have now read The Handmaid's Tale three times, and this most recent reading for our discussion was definitely my favourite so far. In the past, the story was moving and shocking, but now it feels scary and almost surreal. Of course, the events in the novel are extreme, but the connections you can so easily see to the events that are happening in the United States are uncanny. Especially when Offred refers to fake news!

[Ashley]

Kate wrote: "Margaret Atwood and I have never gotten along in the past - maybe, as I think I've said before because I've always had to do her book for a class and rarely have had to pick her up for leisure read..."

So many people have fraught relationships with Margaret Atwood. I personally think she is a national treasure. My first Atwood novel was actually The Handmaid's Tale, and I think because I connected to this book so much, that made me more receptive to her other work. Although, there are definitely Atwood novels I have struggled with! *cough* Oryx & Crake *cough*

[Ashley]

Allison wrote: "Dana wrote: "I read the book for the first time last month, it was actually my first Atwood book as well. Other than reading it for this group, the main reason I picked it up was because of the min..."

How have I never heard of The Future Library project before?!

[Susan]

Ashley wrote: "Kate wrote: "Margaret Atwood and I have never gotten along in the past - maybe, as I think I've said before because I've always had to do her book for a class and rarely have had to pick her up for..."

"Fraught" is the perfect word, Ashley!

[Claudia]

I read this book when I first came to Canada, and had to read it with an english/spanish dictionary beside me. I have read the book again, twice, and each time I get something different from it. However, everytime I read it, I'm surprised about how accurate Atwwood is in describing "change" ... how it can happen in different ways...it may all of a sudden be there, or it creeps up slowly and before you know it nothing can be done. I think this may be one of the reasons why it is relevant still today, there are many changes in women's lives and in the world, really, that are difficult to understand how or when they changed! do i make sense????

[Ashley]

Claudia wrote: "I read this book when I first came to Canada, and had to read it with an english/spanish dictionary beside me. I have read the book again, twice, and each time I get something different from it. Ho..."

Claudia, you make sense and have illuminated an aspect of the novel I hadn't fully considered before! What a significant observation; Atwood shows us change by force, and change by choice.

Do you have any examples from the novel that speak to you?

[Susan]

This book is most definitely popular ... was on the waiting list a long time but finally successful in time to read it and be able to comment. Why has it returned to popularity ... the TV series is one thing as many people I know want to read the book before seeing it as a screenplay. The other may be those who "reread" or talk about the book again in light of America First / Make America Great Again rhetoric constantly in the headlines. The book does paint a potential outcome of the US totally looking inward and having no use for diversity.

[Allison]

Susan wrote: "This book is most definitely popular ... was on the waiting list a long time but finally successful in time to read it and be able to comment. Why has it returned to popularity ... the TV series is..."

So glad you were able to finish in time and join the discussion, Susan!

[Susan]

Re: Susan's comment, the novel isn't returning to popularity; it hasn't been out of print since it was published. From CBC's q:
"The novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and has appeared in myriad translations and editions; it's also been turned into an opera, a ballet, multiple stage plays, a radio drama and more. Some fans have even sent Atwood photos of their Handmaid's Tale tattoos. When people speak or write about policy shifts aimed at controlling women, in particular their reproductive rights, they often refer to it as 'like something out of The Handmaid's Tale.'"

[Allison]

Susan wrote: "Re: Susan's comment, the novel isn't returning to popularity; it hasn't been out of print since it was published. From CBC's q:
"The novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and has appeared in ..."

So true, Susan. This is one of those works that will never go out of fashion, and it is destined to become a classic, like George Orwell's 1984. In fact, Atwood published it in 1985, which is interesting. I wonder if there was some connection between Orwell's work ... maybe she was inspired by it? coincidence?

[Susan]

Susan wrote: "Re: Susan's comment, the novel isn't returning to popularity; it hasn't been out of print since it was published. From CBC's q:
"The novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and has appeared in ..."

Wow ... didn't realize that. Thanks for the insight.