The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Handmaid's Tale
Book Review: A Masterwork, The Handmaid's Tale Deserves the Praises It Has Received
Summary: 5 Stars
There are several well known dystopian works in recent fiction, yet I am aware of none that tackle the issue of sexuality and femininity as does the Handmaid's tale.
Many of us who don't live in a theocracy have read about the plight of women in such places as Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, and to most of us, I think, it feels as though it's a world away from our lives and the way we look at women and their freedoms. What Atwood does masterfully is create an utterly believable scenario for a totalitarian, religious regime to take power in the U.S. and completely undo the liberties of women in favor of "security" and "national interests." In all, Atwood has westernized the story of the removal of womens' rights in Afghanistan, a country that at one time was relatively liberal in its treatment of women. Atwood shines a glaring light on the dark side of the politics of religious fanatacism in the U.S. particularly, and carries the ideas of biblical fundamentalists to a logical and terrifying extreme.
Any work capable of doing this in novel form is an accomplishment. But, Atwood goes the distance to create an intensely readable text, sharp dialogue, incisive acumen on the part of the book's heroin, Offred, layers of imagery and symbolism, and in a few places, both humor and horror.
My only gripe is minor. Sometimes, Offred rambles and I'm not sure what Atwood was trying to do when she wrote certain passages that drifted toward glibness. Once in a while, it felt as though she was trying too hard to play association games with language--like she was writing a poem rather than prose.
Even so, this is a feminist work in top form, but its appeal absolutely doesn't stop there. This is one of those books that I think everyone should read. It's that good.
Book Review: A Must-Read for Anyone Who Cares about Women's Rights
Summary: 5 Stars
Margaret Atwood, a Canadian novelist (and poet) has written a dark fantasy. The novel is set in The Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, or at least the parts of it that are not radioactive. The radioactive parts are called the colonies, where bad girls are sent to die of radiation poisoning. The time is the near future, after the inevitable nuclear war, and the breakdown of government as we know it.
This novel was a. Book of the Month Club featured alternate. However, that was a long time ago. It would never be recognized or honored in today's political environment.
The society depicted in The Handmaid's Tale is a nightmare: everyone is watched by the Eyes, possibly the successor to the FBI or CIA, or a home-grown version of the religious police found in some fundamentalist countries in the Middle East. Women are strictly controlled. They are forbidden to have jobs. They may have no money of their own. They are irrevocably assigned to classes.. There are, at the top, the chaste, but morally superior, Wives, almost all of whom have been rendered infertile by the inevitable nuclear war. At the bottom are the housekeepers, or Marthas, who are non-entities. In the middle are the Handmaids of the title, who are fertile, but tightly controlled. Handmaids are forced to have sex with the Commanders, the husbands of the Wives. During this sex, the Wives are intimately present to take in any "love" their Commanders have to give.
The Handmaids are trained to remain unattached to the Commanders. They are prohibited from using makeup or doing anything to make themselves attractive. Handmaids are forced to turn their offspring over to the Wives.
The government is totalitarian and monotheistic. The one god is very strict, and has His Eyes everywhere.
The tale is narrated by Offred. (Her name is derived from: "of Fred", since she exists only because of a man.) Offred is a Handmaid who, despite her training (read brainwashing), recalls her past, her loving husband, and her adored daughter. She tells with sparkling, and terrifying clarity, how the society came to be the way it is.
This governmental aspect of the story is instructive.
A coup d'etat is executed by a group of hardcore fundamentalists. They machine gun the Congress. They then use this lawlessness as an excuse to permanently suspend the Constitution. These religious rebels then enact into "law" an amazingly contemporary assortment of violations of human rights.
Offred's personal story is heartrending. It reminds one of the miseries of, say, the women of Darfur. When the government breaks down, she and her husband and daughter attempt to flee to Canada. Unfortunately, they are caught. Her daughter is "confiscated." Her husband is taken away. She never sees her husband again.
Offred's "training" is described at length and in great detail.
Atwood's writing is compelling. The story is a must-read for anyone with a political conscience.
Book Review: A Must-Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm 15 years old, and this book was recommended to me by my Sophomore Literature teacher. I had heard that in previous years, this book had been banned and was a little hesitant to read it. Well, I took the chance and loved it. Please DO NOT hesitate to read this book because you may have heard of its "explicit sexual scenes" because I have read romance novels that are more graphic than this book. It is shockingly real and makes a person think and wonder outside the world he/she lives in. Read it and you will not regret it.Book Review: A Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn't Want to Live There...
Summary: 5 Stars
I think I would describe this as "a book with attitude." We read this for a world literature book group, and this was the first book we read in group that made me laugh not because of comedy, but because of sarcasm and irony. The story is very interesting (although a bit confusing at first - my suggestion is to read the Historical Note at the end first) and is almost a social commentary on what may happen to civilization if things progress the way they have been. In this society many people are unable to have children, but if you have enough wealth and status you can hire a handmaid to live with you and bear a child. But how do the Handmaids feel about this? What of their previous lives where they were parents and important themselves, rather than simply child-bearing slaves? How does a society keep these women (and others) "in check?" Read and find out. I highly suggest this book to everyone who likes to read fiction because it's not solely about one thing (and thus will not only appeal to one audience).Book Review: A Not Too Distant Future
Summary: 4 Stars
Many books have been written about dystopian futuristic societies, but none such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. This novel is told to the reader through the eyes of a handmaid who has been given the name Offred. During this time period, taking place in the not too distant future, few women are able to successfully reproduce due to pollution and radiation brought on by wars between religious sects. Atwood possesses a beautiful writing style in which she goes from discussing Offred's past in the "normal days", her early days as a handmaid living in a designated "Center", and her present circumstances. The America that Offred lives in has frightingly been transformed into a totalitarian oppresive society. Blacks have been taken to North Dakota while Jews have been given the choice between deportation or converting to Christianity. Men and women no longer share sexual intimacy, but mate solely for the purpose of procreation . Offred suffers in this novel not only because she's a survivor of the time when women were free to do as they chose, but also because she has no idea of what has happened to her husband and daughter. During her time as the Commander, Fred's, handmaid, she experiences disillusionment, jealousy, bitterness, and affection towards two different men in two different ways. Atwood is obvious in her attempts to convey Offred's since of isolation and disperation as she uses similes, motifs, and metaphors. Her strong feminist beliefs are extremely blatant as she depicts a world where women are looked upon as objects and how horrible the conditions are in the lives they are forced to lead. Offred bitterly reflects on the past and hopes for a future where she is allowed to love and possess some sense of freedom.