Confession: I had put off reading The Handmaid’s Tale for years.
I was scared of the dystopian world where women were second-class citizens under a theocratic government. It seemed to hit too close to reality for me.
However, after reading both The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, I must say that they are as scary as I thought they would be, but also hold a surprising amount of hope for women (the female characters as well as women in general). The characters are multi-layered and completely fill the need of a reader to care about them. They are at once naive and tough which makes for a fascinating adventure.
I would recommend every woman read these books. If you haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale yet, read them back-to-back as I did. You’ll be glad you did when you get to the ending of The Testaments. (NO SPOILERS!)
Well done, Ms. Atwood.
Purchase your copy here.
Back Cover Copy of The Testaments:
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
About Margaret Atwood:
Margaret Atwood’s work has been published in over forty countries, is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, now a successful MGM-Hulu television series currently preparing its fourth season, her novels include Cat’s Eye, shortlisted for the 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; Oryx and Crake, shortlisted for the 2003 Booker Prize; The Penelopiad; The Heart Goes Last; Hag-seed; and The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale. She lives in Toronto some of the time.
