The images of brilliant emptiness are one of the most striking aspects of this novel about totalitarian blindness.the effect is chilling - Linda Taylor * Sunday Times *īrilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of twenty-first century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception * Essence * Margaret Atwood is a wry and perceptive observer of society as well as an original storyteller * Psychologist * Out of a narrative shadowed by terror, gleam sharp perceptions, brilliant intense images and sardonic wit - Peter Kemp * Independent * The Handmaid's Tale is both a superlative exercise in science fiction and a profoundly felt moral story - Angela Carter It is more broadly a contemporary myth of despotic power, and how such power deforms those who are subjected to it * Observer * The novel satirises the strain of evangelical puritanism in American culture and the objectification and control of women's bodies.

The mother of all feminist dystopian novels * Red *

And so powerfully feministĬompulsively readable * Daily Telegraph * You are a fan of the esteemed author, Margaret Atwood, or have enjoyed the TV seriesĪ fantastic, chilling story.You are looking for a book full of action, tension, and drama.You want to read a powerful story from a woman’s perspective, examining themes of oppression and feminism Now made into a hugely successful TV series, Margaret Atwood’s number one bestselling novel is a powerful and terrifyingly resonant insight into what it means to live in a society of total oppression, where freedom will never be an option. However bleak her circumstances, Offred refuses to give up hope, of finding her daughter, of reuniting with her family, and in a resistance that may finally bring Gilead to its knees. The current landscape is wrought with danger, torture, and persecution. Throughout the novel, Offred recalls her previous life in flashbacks while also guiding the reader to an understanding of how this world came to be.

She must continue to offer herself to him with the sole objective of becoming pregnant though, should this happen, the child would not be considered her own. She is placed in a household under Commander Fred Waterford’s rule and given a new name, Offred.

The hand maids tale book