The Handmaid's Tale (Contemporary Classics)
13 journalers for this copy...
I left doing this review for a few days to give me time to think how I felt about this book.Personally I'm n o real fan of sci-fi but had heard great things about this one.
The book is supposedly set in the future in a nation called Gilead which is a theocracy where religion and authority have become closely intertwined. Due to a drastic drop in the birth rate the society is based around trying to correct this. The story is told by Offred, a woman stripped of all all her rights and family and is now a sexual slave kept merely because she has previously borne a healthy child.All women in the society have been stripped of their individual identities and are nor either handmaids, wives, Marthas, Aunts or Unwomen whereas men are referred to by their ranks. However, many women are also complicit with this system by their silence. Offred however is a first generation of this new society and as such has memories of a happier more carefree past so rebels against this new society if only by thought alone.
The book is full of symbolism ranging from language used by the authorities to the red clothing that Offred and the other housemaids must wear.The colour of this clothing is particularly important. Red is the colour of a woman's menstrual period and therefore fertility but is also seen as the sign of sexual sin and certainly references to rape and other sexual crimes are prevalent throughout and are used as justification by the theocracy for its actions. Certainly sex within Gilead is closely controlled.
The final chapter left me with mixed feelings. Certainly it gives a slightly different viewpoint on what went before however given that the book is written in the first person am not totally convinced that it was necessary.
On the whole I enjoyed this book and it certainly made me think about what it would be like to be stripped of all control of one's own life. However, at times I did find it hard work and am not a fan of this stream of conscious writing. Thus the book fails to get top marks but would still recommend it.
Released 8 yrs ago (11/16/2015 UTC) at Furness Vale, Derbyshire United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This is the second Margaret Atwood book I have read and I've decided that so far I really like her writing style.
I'm now going to send it on a bookray for other people to hopefully enjoy.
Released 6 yrs ago (1/25/2018 UTC) at Sheffield, South Yorkshire United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Ythan - UK - UK
Silver-Greece - UK - UK/EU
Mankyi - Switzerland - EU
iiwi - Netherlands -
mysteriousmummy - UK
Bookworm-lady - Spain - International
JosefinJ - Sweden - International
Femke85 - Sweden - International
dutch-book - Netherlands - International
LysMibo - Ireland - EU/Int
estelle1806 - Ireland - International
LilyKlip - Germany - International<---Here
HebImaging-OBCZ - UK - International
merrymari - USA - USA/Canada
Hope you all enjoy reading it xx
forum post - http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/548841
If this list changes for any reason, I will update this journal entry as well as the forum.
Can't wait to get started. :)
I'm happy to say that Margaret Atwood is one of the 1001 authors I look forward to reading in the future.
Released 6 yrs ago (3/5/2018 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Now on its way to Mankyi in Switzerland.
The book is now on its way to the next participant in the Netherlands. Safe journey, little book!:)
If you aren't familiar with Bookcrossing, take a few minutes to check out this very cool site. Bookcrossers LOVE books, and more than anything, they love to read books and then set them free for other people to find and enjoy. I would love it if you would leave a journal entry -- you can say where you found the book or how you liked it when you read it.
This is a distopian world . 'I remember the rules, rules that were never spelled out, but that every woman knew: don't open you door to a stranger, even if he says it is the police. Make him slide his ID under the door. Don't stop on the road to help a motorist pretending to be in trouble. Keep the locks and keep going. If anyone whistles, don't turn and look. Don't go in the laundromat, by yourself, at night.' But! This is what this distopian world says about the world before, about our world!
(I have been to laundromats by myself at night by the way).
Names are evidence. Offred, Ofglen. Woman are not more than the property of certain men. That is I think why it feels so important, in this day and age (having been written in another world altogether, in 1985, when the USSR was still existing, the wall and the towers had not fallen).
One thing I forgot to mention; The thing that caught me was that everything in this world was restricted, except smoking!
Released 5 yrs ago (7/24/2018 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
I read it a long time ago, when it first appeared; I used to read TIMES magazine to practice my English, and I found the review really intriguing.
Since then, I have watched the 1990 film with Natasha Richardson, and the HBO series. Having recently re-visited the earlier film, I must say it was much better in my opinion, but this is just me...
As I said, thanks for making it available, I don't think it will take a long time for me to read it... ;)
Thanks for making it available, Cfreckle!
What is frightening is that everything done in Gilead has indeed happened (or is still happening) in our real world.
Even though divided into strict classes, no women are really happy in Gilead, and must remain within their strict boundaries.
A quote that will stay with me:
"Humanity is so adaptable, my mother would say. Truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations."
I agree with 4evagreen about the need for the "Historical Notes" as last chapter, assuming that Gilead has failed as a society (no wonder!) and is currently the object of study by historians; certainly the end is open, and through this we may have some perception of what happened to the character telling the story... There is a possible option offered in the film, and the story is stretched in the TV series... Apparently, Ms Atwood preferred to keep it open: "stepping into darkness, or into the light"...
Thanks for sharing, Cfreckle; I have JosefinJ's address, and the book will soon continue its travels.
Let me share a photo of the late Ms Richardson as Ofglen in the 1990 film.
Enjoy! :)
Wishing you a Happy new year! :-)
First of all, If you are looking for a happy feelgood story, stay away from this book! It’s a story that makes you feel nauseated at times. lots of times, actually. It gets under your skin and I have the feeling it will linger for a while now that i finished. Not just because of what happens in the story, but because it is just so close to reality. Quotes from current extreme right, conservative politicians can easily fit within the Handmaid’s tale regime, Gilead.
Margaret Atwood is excellent at setting an atmosphere, which of course for this book is very dark and depressing. It gives you the worst kind of goosebumps.
I contacted the next person on the bookray list and hope to get this book traveling again after the weekend.
Released 5 yrs ago (1/14/2019 UTC) at Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
I always try to post my controlled releases with real stamps. If you are not a collector yourself, you might want to check out this post on the forum about a stamps sweeps that I’m currently organising or this one about Bookcrossers who collect stamps. A lot of Bookcrossers collect stamps for charity, so it’s nice to find them a good home!
I had the expectation to finish it a bit sooner, but life got in the way.
I've already asked and received Lysmibo's address, so this will travel on shorter, after I have put some tape on the spine and joints of the book to strenghten it.
Released 5 yrs ago (3/16/2019 UTC) at Heerenveen , Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
I'll send it to the next reader as soon as I get the address.
An interesting topic, though, and still current after 35 years.
I will post very soon to the next reader, in Germany.
Thanks for sharing!
Safe travels!