The Handmaid's Tale

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Summary: Bravo to a well written story!!
Review: Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale was required reading in an English, but to me I would have read it anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of a woman named Offred and all of the horrors she endures in a controlled society. This story deserves very good reviews. Atwood wrote this story in a way that left readers wondering and questioning. I heard that some readers found this book disgusting and a piece of trash, but I beg to differ. Anyone who hated this book simply does not understand the intrigue of this book.

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Summary: pet people
Review: Have you ever had a pet? What if you were the pet, and kept up in a cage for most of your life? This book gives us a glimps of what it might be like and what it could become if we all worked together to build a perfect world. I liked it. I found that after reading it my life didnt seem so bad and felt an added compasion for people in other countries that dont have the feedoms that we do.

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Summary: Excellent. Just hope it is not prophetic!
Review: This is one of the best books I've ever read. Frightening, with a deep moral and social concern. A real wake up call to analyze how we are making things work and how we are organizing our society and our cultures

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Summary: let this awaken us all
Review: This novel has so many striking similarities to what is happening now in Afghanistan it is eerie. I found it compelling and insightful. This type of dystopian society does exist on earth and Margaret Atwood does a spectacular job of bringing it to her readers attention. How horrid it must be to be fearful for your life do to one's own thoughts and beliefs. I realize this is a fictional novel but it scares me none the less

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Summary: This book compares favorably with others of this genre.
Review: "The Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood is perhaps a breakthrough in the kind of book that makes you smile and cringe at the same time. This book leaves you feeling sorry for the character, while at the same time cheering on her will to live and strength as a woman in this society. The main character Offred is perhaps a heroine of this time. Her hope and tolerance gives the reader someone to look up to and respect. This book is a great read. Enjoy!

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Summary: There's a reason they call it "Required Reading"!
Review: I'm a college freshman at Mesa State College in Grand Juntion, CO, and was required to read "The Handmaid's Tale" for my English class. I know why the proffessor chose this book now; it is excellent reading, and it delivers a message that needs to be heard. I heard Atwood warning us all about where apathy towards the government can lead. Disregard stability, and you lose it. I heard her saying that we need to take responsibility for our actions, rather than blindly follow some anonymous force. Think for yourselves, and always, ALWAYS question authority before it becomes too late. Thank you, Margaret Atwood, for getting the message through so vividly!

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Summary: Brilliance!
Review: The Handmaid's Tale is a brilliant novel! Margaret Atwood is successful in leaving her readers shocked, scared, confused and entertained at the very same time. This is a fairly difficult book to read and I do not recommend this book anyone who takes reading lightly. It can be confusing and little details that can be easily overlooked are important to the story. The main character switches between various time periods (her past, present and future) and important information about the story and questions the reader may have throughout the novel, are not revealed until its end. For some people, it may be easy to lose the true meaning and significance of the novel in its confusing and intricate plot. Unlike any other book I have read, The Handmaid's Tale has left a huge impression on me and I am looking forward to reading more of Margaret Atwood's books!

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Summary: What a shock!
Review: This book was one of the three novels taken for the exam to be an English teacher in France last year. Further I went into the analysis of the book, more I discovered how deep the text is. This book is not only prose, it is also poetry. The tone is sometimes melancholy, however the reader feels the strenghth of the narrator behind. Sometimes it sounds bizarre, even shocking, but it remains profoundly meaningful (for a female reader). I never had the occasion to read such a novel before, and I assume there are not so many comparable texts.I never felt such a thrill while reading a fiction (and I hope it will never be something else than a fiction).

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Summary: everything that was missing in 1984 and A Brave New World
Review: This book is in the same sort of foreboding vein as 1984 and A Brave New World. The critical difference is that is by and about a woman. It is at once a fascinating look into one woman's mind and an effective social commentary. Anything by Atwood is sure to be magnificent, and this is no exception. Beautifully written and constructed.

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Summary: Appreciate the literary merit of this book!
Review: Wow. What a great read. I read a review where someone said this book was a piece of trash. Obviously, the person knows little about the stylistic techniques that are weaved in works to make them deeper and more meaningful. I have just completed an in-depth project for my AP English class where I was required to choose a book, analyze every aspect of the story as I read, and present it to the class, pointing out literary techniques and my analysis of each technique. I chose The Handmaid's Tale because I had read it before and loved it, but I wanted to reread it very carefully and look at all of the hidden meanings. I had no idea what I was in for. The first time I read it, I loved it just for the story; the whole Gilead concept was just so intriguing. This time, I loved it for how deep the significance of every little thing in the book is, which is something I had missed the first time. Atwood has to be a genius to be able to coalesce all of the underlying meanings, images, allusions, and recondite symbolism that is waiting on every page. Things like reason for the red outfits are obvious, but before careful thinking and analysis I was unaware that such things as the flowers in Serena Joy's garden and the egg that Offred describes just before the Birthmobile arrives represent much intricate, deeper ideas and desires. This book should be appreciated if not for the plot, which is entertaining in itself, then for being an excellent example of a work that subtly weaves together an excellent "Level III" meaning that can only be appreciated by the most erudite and interested readers.