The Handmaid's Tale

By Margaret Atwood

Before The Testaments, there was The Handmaid’s Tale: an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times).

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Release date: Feb 17, 1986
• ISBN: 9780547345666

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries, is the author of over fifty books, including fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, now an award-winning television series, her works include Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; The MaddAddam Trilogy; The Heart Goes Last; Hag-Seed; The Testaments, which won the Booker Prize and was long-listed for the Giller Prize; and the poetry collection Dearly. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award. In 2019 she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in Great Britain for her services to literature. She lives in Toronto.

Reviews for The Handmaid's Tale

[mlyons1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent read!

[beckakw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second Atwood novel that I attempted, and my first success. The story was gripping and horrifying and left me a lot to think about.

[applemcg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

atwood doesn't begin her "reveal" until half-way thru the book. if there is something going on, you know it only thru the events and memories of the narrator. a bit later, at 80% (it's a ebook) Offred's friend "Moira", who has seen more of the world, shares what she has seen, and while it's but a personal view, a better sense of what's what appears. your patience will eventually be rewarded. but, to me, it seemed like an unnecessary tying up unloose ends. in my view, this is less a current (albeit 30-yrd old) comment on the political landscape, rather more how people are subjugated, not so much by the state, but those closest to them. i suppose it's recent comparison to nazi germany is apt, in that it takes a lot of functionaries having bought into 'other's dehumanization. the message here should be told to male-dominated industries - financial, media, .. where the woman remain as objects. the details of how it got this way are less important to atwood's speaking thru her narrator than the ability to see models of the necessary behaviors in today's world.

[drapple_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Handmaid's Tale presents a dystopian future that seems all to likely in today's political climate. It is beautifully written and develops the character and the setting slowly and with precision. The events become more and more disturbing as the novel progresses, creating a true sense of anxiety for the main character. This is not a pleasant novel, but it is an important one, especially in today's political climate.

[foggidawn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Offred remembers the time, not so long ago, when she had a husband and a daughter, when women were allowed to read and work and own property. All of that has changed in the repressive Republic of Gilead. Now, Offred is a Handmaid. Her purpose in life is to bear children for a barren married woman. Every aspect of Offred's life is controlled and scrutinized -- almost. Is there any way to escape?This book is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, as it is made into a TV series, and as people draw connections between it and the elements of the current political climate that some find frighteningly similar to the book. I had never read it before, so I decided that now was an excellent time to do so. It is a chilling depiction of a dystopian future, though it does show its age in spots. Still, definitely worth a read for the high quality writing, and so that you can be au courant with the current literary-political conversation.