BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Handmaid's Tale
With terrifying understatement, this novel narrates the life of a college-educated mother ripped from her career and family to be a slave, in a dystopian United States too plausible to be forgotten. Forbidden by a fanatical government to read, choose their own clothes or appear in public alone, handmaids fulfill an awful purpose as the servants of wealthy families. All the while, however, strange new friendships emerge between the powerless and the powerful, as revolution glimmers on the horizon.
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Community Reviews
Me gustan mucho las distopías y esta me sorprendió. Increíble como la construcción del mundo se hila de a poco, con mucho suspenso. Me gustó que esta vez no hubiera "adolescentes" salvando el mundo, o una heroína. Este es un libro que se siente muy real y que deja dudas respecto a todos los personajes, incluso respecto a la propia historia. Adoro la sensación de incertidumbre/nervio con la que me quedo. Da para muuucha reflexión!
Things seem pretty bad in the United States right now. Just last Wednesday a white American man shot two Indian men in a bar, yelling "Get out of my country." Women's rights, racial minority rights, GLBT rights are all on the chopping block, and when you add those people together, they're actually the majority of America. This novel isn't moving or frightening because it's a prediction of where the United States is headed so much as it reveals how too much power in the hands of a few degenerates into a situation that's awful for everyone. It's a continuum. Misplaced power is already hurting us. Letting the powerful grow more powerful will make the situation worse.
I wish I were a woman so I could be justifiably indignant. Instead, as a man, I am simply paralyzed in horror at the stupidity of humans. The back says dire warning...it's what? Environmental concerns, male hegemony, religious fanaticism, a global economy, or just stupidity itself. Justifiably touched, moved. It gave me the feelings. Men don't have the capacity to deal with those. We should teach Hitler and death camps in grade school. The boogie man is a real person, and Santa claus doesn't exist.
Teachers, use this book when you have your students read the chocolate war.
Teachers, use this book when you have your students read the chocolate war.
Whew. Where do I even begin? I find it much easier to write a review about a book that I dislike than one that I really enjoyed. No, that I really appreciated. I appreciated it so much that I am having a hard time browsing the one star reviews and being tolerant of them and their insults. I've grown protective of this one. I do not understand the writing style being confusing. I don't understand why people have such a difficult time when quotation marks are missing. I am really baffled by this. I get a little bit like this about the negative comments:
But moving on (because everyone has their own opinion and so on and so forth)...
I adored the writing style and did not find it difficult to read/follow/etc. I was hooked on the prose within the first few pages and found myself lingering because I didn't want the book to be over. I didn't want to chance picking up my next read and having it feel inadequate next to this writing of wonder woman Atwood.
Offred, our main character, is a Handmaid. She is there to have sex with the Commander in hopes of getting pregnant because his wife cannot (because she is a billion years old just like her husband is, but he is not at fault because men cannot be blamed for being impotent). Most of the admiration I felt for Offred came from her thoughts and not from her actions. Her memories of her husband, Luke, and her daughter broke my heart. I thought of my own daughter.
Most of the dystopia I have read has been limited to YA, which is usually pretty action packed and not-so-serious. The exception would be [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg|3355573], which I really enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I love my YA ones as well, but they have a bit more "fluff" to them that makes for great pacing. Don't read this if you are expecting some huge, in-your-face event. This is a little more quiet than that, quiet like Offred. That doesn't mean I wasn't blown away. There were memories and thoughts that Offred had that made me feel like I should cherish my life a little bit more, cherish my relationships, my family a little bit more.
I'd like to have Luke here, in this bedroom while I'm getting dressed, so I could have a fight with him. Absurd, but that's what I want. An argument, about who should put the dishes in the dishwasher, whose turn it is to sort the laundry, clean the toilet; something daily and unimportant in the big scheme of things. We could even have a fight about that, about unimportant, important. What a luxury it would be. Not that we did it much. These days I script whole fights, in my head, and the reconciliations afterwards too.
Like that. Something that would never, ever cross my mind that I would miss if I couldn't have it. But she makes me think that I would, too. I started to feel a connection with Offred, which is something I hope to do with the characters in every book I read but mostly cannot. I cared what happened to her. I wished the best for her. I sought ever silver lining I could in reading between the lines. I like that Atwood didn't just shove it in my face, I had to work to think about it.
Beautiful book. I am very glad I read it. Solid 5 stars from me.
But moving on (because everyone has their own opinion and so on and so forth)...
I adored the writing style and did not find it difficult to read/follow/etc. I was hooked on the prose within the first few pages and found myself lingering because I didn't want the book to be over. I didn't want to chance picking up my next read and having it feel inadequate next to this writing of wonder woman Atwood.
Offred, our main character, is a Handmaid. She is there to have sex with the Commander in hopes of getting pregnant because his wife cannot (because she is a billion years old just like her husband is, but he is not at fault because men cannot be blamed for being impotent). Most of the admiration I felt for Offred came from her thoughts and not from her actions. Her memories of her husband, Luke, and her daughter broke my heart. I thought of my own daughter.
Most of the dystopia I have read has been limited to YA, which is usually pretty action packed and not-so-serious. The exception would be [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600241424l/6288._SY75_.jpg|3355573], which I really enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I love my YA ones as well, but they have a bit more "fluff" to them that makes for great pacing. Don't read this if you are expecting some huge, in-your-face event. This is a little more quiet than that, quiet like Offred. That doesn't mean I wasn't blown away. There were memories and thoughts that Offred had that made me feel like I should cherish my life a little bit more, cherish my relationships, my family a little bit more.
I'd like to have Luke here, in this bedroom while I'm getting dressed, so I could have a fight with him. Absurd, but that's what I want. An argument, about who should put the dishes in the dishwasher, whose turn it is to sort the laundry, clean the toilet; something daily and unimportant in the big scheme of things. We could even have a fight about that, about unimportant, important. What a luxury it would be. Not that we did it much. These days I script whole fights, in my head, and the reconciliations afterwards too.
Like that. Something that would never, ever cross my mind that I would miss if I couldn't have it. But she makes me think that I would, too. I started to feel a connection with Offred, which is something I hope to do with the characters in every book I read but mostly cannot. I cared what happened to her. I wished the best for her. I sought ever silver lining I could in reading between the lines. I like that Atwood didn't just shove it in my face, I had to work to think about it.
Beautiful book. I am very glad I read it. Solid 5 stars from me.
LisaDimon reacted with :heart:
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