Customer Reviews
Compelling and thought provoking story - By: Alison, 03 Nov 2008 
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book & I reallly wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book & alllows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at alll interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out & bought "Oryx & Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.
It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave - By: Em, 23 Sep 2008 What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 & Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, & cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.
How to do theocratic dystopia... - By: Paul Kirby, 12 Aug 2008 A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism & social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche & the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation & dislocation that must come with what someone once callled the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures & somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves & hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony & punishment are particularly disturbing & resonant, even viscerallly so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been & those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usuallly reserved for shalllow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.
A thoroughly satisfying read - By: Ka Sutton, 07 Aug 2008 Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologicallly-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious & nun-like - but they retain the dangerous alllure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxicallly both entrapped & yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist & matriarchal, but rigidly controlled & totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace & mood had me enthrallled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd & astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back & forth between the present (future) & past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting & richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!
Love this book! - By: Miss S D Giblin, 22 Jul 2008 I read this novel for the first time last week & I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!
