Rating: 
Summary: A trop of Lustful characters
Review: I have found that people don't like to read negitive reviews, but I fear I must give one here. I did not like this book (this I am afraid is a grose understatment of my feelings towardes 'The Handmaids Tale') I read this book and was shocked and discusted by the sextual content and the vularity. The book in some way uses the characters sexual activitys and swearing as sings of rebelion. I do not think this is the best way. The plot might have been intresting to me had the characters not all been so sleezy, and lustful. they were always, it seemed, dreaming/doing sextual things. I felt like I was reading a book by an auther whos main influances were flowers for algernon and sience fiction storys, the kind you buy at shoppers drugmarte.
Rating: 
Summary: Religion in the name of Religion
Review: Fundamentalism is a danger. Atwood knew this enough to display a world based on fundamentalism, in which the women cannot talk casually, cannot dress sexy, cannot have men of their own choosing, cannot have disbeliefs, and so on.This book has an unusual feature: it is a narrative in the present tense. I have never seen that before. It has a bleak tone in which it becomes obvious there is no happy ending. I would compare it to 1984. It is arguably better than 1984 because it illusrates the sufferng of women.
Rating: 
Summary: Everyone read this!
Review: I think The Handmaid's Tale was horrific because of the way Atwood portrays the "past" so casually and the fact that their past is our present and that, at any moment, this world of ours could collapse into such desperation that the government would strip women of all rights and downsize them into machines useful for one thing....babies.
Rating:
Summary: Religious Fundamentalism and Women
Review: I recently read this book as a direct result of listening to NPR. Listeners were calling in and talking about what they were reading in the wake of 9-11. A woman called in and said that she had re-read The Handmaid's Tale in order for her to identify with what it must feel like to be a woman under the Taliban regime. Granted the religions are different but I was shocked at the similarities. I also found myself truly understanding what it must feel like to be discounted. Overall I believe this is an amazing book and will recommend it to all of my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: "Give me children or else I die."
Review: Dystopian novels abound and one might think that The Handmaid's Tale is just another. Written in the tradition of 1984 and Brave New World, Margaret Atwood takes this genre to a new level. While many dystopian novels focus on a far distant future when the past is forgotten, Atwood's Tale focuses on the transition period, the primal generation. Offred, a "handmaid" in the Republic of Gilead (the former U. S.), remembers what it was like to hold a job, to earn money, to own property, even to read -- all of which have been denied in this "modern" society. While the former society was imperfect, women were free, valued for the contributions they could make to society. Here they are not "free" -- they can't travel, gain eduction, etc -- but they are technically "free" from many of the former problems -- rape, sexual objectification, etc -- and valued now only for their ovaries. Offred is a sympathetic heroine. The story is told in a style reminiscent of stream of consciousness, she is merely thinking her story to herself. The narrative is compelling and the themes are significant. Atwood's style is poetic without being sentimental. All in all, it is a worthy work.
Rating:
Summary: Read it slowly..
Review: I rarely find novels that predict the future inspiring or even enjoyable. This book is the exception. Although it has it's hum-drum parts (as does any good book), it's a really profound look at one woman's emotional and physical exile in a world that is trying to keep the human race alive with no justifiable reason for doing so.
It made me question the definition of living, of happiness, and of purpose. After you read what the Handmaid's life consists of and what the world has come to, you look at things like solitude, our freedom, simple pleasures, love, selfishness, and
possibility in a whole different light. Her writing is eloquent and thoughtful...the main character is capturing right away. It's not a book to be rushed through and the depth of some of the quotes will make you want to reread pages of it at a time. It's a rare find.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Margaret Atwood presents a chillingly convincing futuristic story of sexual slavery in the former United States in this tour de force in the mold of Brave New World. Offred leaves the house once a day to attend market and lies with the Commander once a month to procreate in the new Republic of Gilead. She can recall a different life when she had a husband, a family, a job and money of her own. The Handmaid's Tale, a, is infused with biting humour and topical commentary, in the best science fiction tradition.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, esp. if you take your time
Review: I just finished this novel, and I enjoyed it greatly. I read it, on my teacher's recommendation, for a term paper. The plot is engrossing, reavealed in bits and pieces. Read it slowly, like I did. Atwood's writing is complex, watch for recurring words and images. The deeper you delve into her meanings, the more fascinating the novel becomes.
Rating:
Summary: American Taliban
Review: One authors vision of a Taliban-like society certain televangelists and a small group of Congressmen would love to see implented in our country.
Rating:
Summary: Scarier Than a Horror Movie
Review: I came upon this book at Waldenbooks about a couple of weekends ago, and I decided to look at it. I haven't read the entire book, but what I did read was truly horrifying. The story takes place in a future where women have been robbed of their rights. They can't hold jobs, have their own money or property, have their own names, and they're no longer allowed to read. They have been reduced to the role of babymakers--literally. The reason for this is that the United States, which is now known as the Republic of Gilead, has been destroyed by a nuclear war. As a result, most of the female population has been rendered infertile. The few who are still fertile are indoctrinated into becoming handmaids, women whose sole purpose in life is, literally, to make babies. They are then shipped off to affluent households to produce children for couples who are unable to have any of their own. The handmaids who, after three tries, don't produce offspring are sent off to the colonies to clean up nuclear waste and are labeled "unwomen." This scenario is truly terrifying, but it can also make one feel lucky for what we have in today's society. I feel lucky to live in a society where women are valued for more than just bearing children; where women are women, whether they have had babies or not; where women have their own names; and where women are allowed to work, have their own property, read, and get educated. It is scary to think that a scenario like this could happen in our country. Hopefully, it never will-- not if we don't let it.
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