Week 35 Review: The Handmaid's Tale

From Goodreads:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now . . .

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

My Review:
This book was a pretty amazing read. I can see why it's a classic-it's also a warning, because it's kinda a horror story-and it's one that we don't want some variation to happen in real life. But I really enjoyed reading Offred's story!

I would not want to live in a world like this. The rules were oppressive and highly unfair, and while from the epilogue, that some of the hypocrites got punished, well, it didn't change anything. Just the idea of being made into a baby machine, because a few people took power, and decided your choices were wrong, is just infuriating and awful!

This book is for me, a book about subverting the rules, of escape, and I really enjoyed it! Offred has had a lot of her personal power taken away from her by the Republic of Gilead. She thwarted the rules, and she did make a difference, which I was thrilled to see!

I really enjoyed that ending! It's pretty ambiguous, to not know if she lived or not. Plus that last chapter, in the future with the lecture on what we just read, analyzing the culture of Gilead, picking out details, trying to figuring out who the Commander and his wife were from what was in the tapes. It was a unique and interesting end, and I really enjoyed it!

This was a really great book, though I'm not sure I'll read the sequel, because people don't seem to enjoy it as much.

Author: Margaret Atwood
Series: The Handmaid's Tale #1
Read: August 23rd, 2020
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, I needed to read a Classic for the N.E.W.T.'s, and it's a 2020 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book!
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Published: 1985

5/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars