Rating: 
Summary: WARNING! WARNING!
Review: I dunno about you guys, but I'm moving to Canada. No, let's put an ocean between me and this place, make that England.4 stars - not the best, but good: for it's style, for it's imagination, for the warning, for the word Gilead This is, by no means a feminist novel. The way I saw it, the guys had it just as bad as the women of Gilead. At any rate, there were more men hanging on the wall than women. This was a warning novel.
Warnings to take note of and lessons to be learned:
1) Fanaticism, whether religious or not, is not a good thing
2) "Because the Bible says so" is not a good excuse
3) Your holier-than-thou neighbor is not better than you
4) Everything's better in moderation So why the United States of America for the plot to this book? Because we are frequent fanatics, because we allow those who believe they are holier than us to go over our judgement to be better than us, and because we don't believe in moderation - especially when it comes to "freedoms."
This is a book about how those who take advantage of America could one day take a hold of the entire place, and how those who don't care enough about it can let it happen - from the point of view of one of those people who didn't care enough before it was too late.
Rating: 
Summary: Belongs on your shelf next to "1984" and "A Brave New World"
Review: If you really want to scare yourself, read this book along with "1984" and "A Brave New World" within a couple week period. Doing this will scare you more than any horror movie or book ever will. Why? Because these three books were all written years ago (mid 1980's for this one) and they keep getting closer to becoming fact instead of fiction. Maybe you see things with a different political slant than I do, but give this a read. 1) A Handmaids Tale - A fundamentalist religous group has taken control of the country and immediatelty imposes Biblical law. Women are subject to control by man and those that can reproduce (the environment is so polluted that infertility is rampant) are kept as slaves for families that cannot have children. --- More than any of the other two stories, this one has already come close to fact in many third world countries. Most notably - the recently Taliban controlled Afghanistan. 2) 1984 - A world in which we are constantly at war. An elite class of people rules and enjoys all the luxuries while the rest must try and get by every day. Oh yeah, in order to maintain the safety of the empire/country everyone is under constant surveillance and can be arrested and imprisoned without trial. -- Sound slightly familiar? 3) A Brave New World - An elite class controls society and spends their time taking "Soma" a drug that relieves anxiety and allows them to live in complete peace and ignorance. Instead of working, the elite class has devised a way to clone people to do the laborious work. --- "Soma" could be television of Prozac, while cloning is becoming more of a reality. Read them. Then watch as they slowly come to life.
Rating:
Summary: Part warning, part prophecy
Review: As the U.S. marches closer to Gilead, Atwood's classic dystopia becomes more clairvoyant daily. Ms. Atwood, a Canadian has said that American women ask her how soon Gilead will come. The Handmaid's Tale is a disturbing look at the logical outcomes of current policy and trends. It is the perfect introduction to speculative fiction for Liberals to give to Conservative friends, perhaps in a gift pack including 1984 and Anglomerika. It is also an excellent primer for 2nd generation feminists to give to the upcoming generation to remind them of what we fight against and to prevent. Besides the "If This Goes On --" polemics, The Handmaid's Tale has a riveting plot, complex characterizations, and a mastery of the reflective use of English. While the book could not exist without the politics, the politics are a setting, not the focus of the story. Thus, it is a truly great novel.
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly Wonderful, Atwood is a genius!
Review: ...I love this book for its short length, I truly enjoyed the story and in depth futuristic details. The writing style is so wonderful it will keep you interested the whole time. I loved this book and truly recommend it to anyone that is over the age of 15. I say this because the content is quite mature at times. At first I really was grossed out with many of the sexual details and I can see why many would be uttlerly disgusted. But thats the true beauty of the book, it is completly realistic. It is written in the point of view of a Handmaid and none of the sexual nature was at all gross to them, it was just a day in and day out reality. It is truly a wonderful book once you look past the raunchy sexual innuendos and content. I recommend this to anyone with a open mind and love of great literature. Read this book it is truly a modern classic!!
Rating: 
Summary: Red red red red red...
Review: You never really stop reading about the color red in this novel. Obviously, it is an important symbol, as it has been in many books, all the way back to Nathaniel Hawthorne and beyond. What color was the "A" for adultery? Red. Hmmm...interesting connection, as the handmaids in this tale are essentially committing adultery as a part of their job. Blood, anger, passion, fascist governments...they're all represented by red, so it is equally interesting that the main character's name is Offred, which could actually be said Off-red. Is that a hint about her personality?
Alright, Mayday! Enough with the red, because I'm sure any future reader of this novel will become tired of red references soon enough. This isn't the best of the negative utopian genre, but its having a female protagonist does set it apart from the others. Atwood's use of the "stream of consciousness" writing method is also unique, although at times the sparseness of Offred's thoughts leaves something more to be desired. It's quite intriguing to hear what the non-liberal minded think about this book. Yes, it could happen. And how would anyone escape? That's probably the worst thing about this book: it doesn't have a real conclusion. Something happens to Offred, something that the whole book has been leading up to, and then it ends. The reader never really gets any answers. Is that a prediction of future life as well?
Rating:
Summary: exceptional vision
Review: This book is one written with precise ideas and a unified vision. Atwood knew where she was heading from the beginning and writes a novel dedicated to the corrupt future humans may have if we keep on the same path. An exceptional choice!
Rating:
Summary: What if this really happens?
Review: The Handmaid's Tale - by Margaret Atwood THE HANDMAID'S TALE is a frightening look at a not too distant future where sterility is the norm, and fertile woman are treated as cattle, to produce children for the upper class who cannot have any. The narrator Offred, as she is called in her new life, is the Handmaid for a top Commander in the new government. Once a month she is tested by a gynecologist to ensure that she is healthy, and then is taken to the Commander and his wife in the hopes of becoming pregnant. Offred, along with the other handmaid's, are not allowed to look directly at anyone else. They all wear the same outfits; red long dresses and headgear that cover their bodies. They live together, spend most of their time together, and are taken care of, in the hopes that they will produce children for this barren society. In this society, most women are not allowed to read, and are treated as if they have no minds. The government dictates their role in society. If they disobey, they are punished severely. Offred's memories often go back to a time when she was happily married to Luke, and with their daughter they were looking forward to a long and happy life together. Things changed when a military group took over the government, and immediately their lives as they knew it were over. Women lost all rights to ownership; bank accounts were frozen, land was taken away; fertile women were taken away from their husbands and families. A handful of older women were made into 'Aunts', and their duties were to instruct and guide the handmaids, reminding them of their role on this earth, which is to procreate. I have to say that my feelings during this book were of shock. In some sense, what has happened in this book has already happened in other parts of the world and can happen again. The control over women is very much like that of the women in Afghanistan. The control over religious choice brings to mind Nazi Germany, as one of the issues in the Handmaid's Tale is the elimination of anyone that refuses to be as one with the new government - religious persecution is justified and encouraged. The Handmaid's Tale is a horrifying story of a government fully in control of each person's life and totally out of control. The book was so riveting that it took me only one day to read. I highly recommend this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: How much do I HATE this book?
Review: This is one of those annoying books you are forced to read at school because there is so much to say about it. Well, I hated it the first time, finding it dull, repetitive and vague. After having to read it three times and taken an exam on it (in which I got an A by the way) I can honestly say I shiver at the sight of it and my copy was put to it's best use last summer... as something to burn on the barbecue. That really is the only place for it.
Rating:
Summary: it's good
Review: it's a good book. it's not the best but it's good. i love the author's style and creativity, and the silly way she presents what possibly happened to Offred and Nick and the Commander.
Rating:
Summary: A Journey from Bondage to Possible Freedom
Review: This is the first Atwood novel I have read. I've always been a fan of her short stories and finally took the time to read Handmaid's Tale. She creates a setting that seems so possible and real that I almost felt like I was there. Gilead is a republic that exudes safety and protection, yet is filled with bondage, imprisonment and fear. Atwood dares the reader to contemplate what society would be like for women if they were to let go of everything they love and cherish. This not only includes people and places, but also intelligence, emotions, friendship and love. Atwood's use of symbolism using colors and "the eye" enhances the haunting novel. What is Atwood attempting to imply with her ambiguous ending? Although there are many possible interpretations, we do realize that Offred is leaving her world of nothingness into somewhere free, whether that is death or ultimate escape. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to reading Alias Grace, which I hear is one of her best works.
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