Your Store
Select A Store
Select Store
There are no stores nearby.
My Store:
Select A Store
Overview
Overview
#1 New York Times bestseller - Includes a new introduction by Margaret Atwood.
An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss.
Look for The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, coming September 2019. In Margaret Atwood's dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead's commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid's Tale is a modern classic.
An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss.
Look for The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, coming September 2019. In Margaret Atwood's dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead's commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid's Tale is a modern classic.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Atwood, Margaret
- ISBN: 9780385490818
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 7.90 x 0.80
- Number Of Pages: 336
- Publication Year: 1998
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
65%
4 ★
15%
3 ★
15%
2 ★
0%
1 ★
5%
20 Ratings
0
0% Would Recommend
0 Recommendations
Review Images
Sort by:
-
A chilling modern classic that withstands the test of time
Alicia S. - 2 years 8 months agoI have only one complaint about this novel: that it isn't part of a series-I could have read at least three more books about the city of Gilead. Offred is living in an oppressive patriarchal society, serving as a handmaid to The Commander and his wife, Serena Joy. In war-time America where Congress has been overthrown and families torn apart, population has taken a perilous plunge. Handmaids have been trained and dispatched for one purpose: to become pregnant and repopulate the nation. Everyone has a prescribed profession, and everyone has their reasons for playing their part. Everyone is being watched, everyone is watching, and the cost for defying the corrupt higher officials is steep. This dystopian futuristic story has it all: suspense, unrequited love, violence, cultural and political commentary, underground societies, and so much more. (Not to mention Margaret Atwood's marvelous writing). The Handmaid's Tale left me contemplating for days after I finished reading it.
HPB Staff Review -
Critical Reader for a Society in Deep Flux
HPB S. - 5 years 8 months agoExtremely thought-provoking then AND now. To be considered a warning for what our society could be, and an exploration of the tricky and sometimes sinister bounds of human nature. We could arrive at this point. Let us avoid it!
-
This book can be triggering, so be sure that you are in an okay space to read it before you dive in.
Lindsey S. - 5 years 8 months agoThis book is so important for everyone to read. The world-building is terrifying and incredibly well-done. Even though this apocalyptic world seems so far off, everything written about has, at some point somewhere, been actually done, according to Atwood. Read this book to stop it from happening in the future. #bannedbook
-
Did not know what to expect.
J S. - 5 years 8 months agoI found this book very interesting. It was stunned how this society acted. I would recommend this book to others.
-
Magnanimous Ingenuity of Margaret Atwood
Olivia W. - 5 years 8 months agoOh. My. God. The Handmaid’s Tale is my favorite book ever. It sounds weird, primarily because of the treatment of women in Gilead. It’s my favorite because I view it as a warning, a warning to women specifically. This novel, especially with the way 2020 has gone, is more relevant than ever. I just reread it this past week. It applies to this time more than any other book I have ever read. Written in 1985, Atwood has masterfully crafted this novel to apply to any era, any year, any day. The lack of technology, specificity to dates, and, overall, her magnanimous ingenuity leads to this being a perfect novel. The only downfall? It is a little hard to understand the timeline at first, but you are totally in the know on the second read. Whenever I read this excellent novel, I am transported into Offred’s mind. I highly recommend this #bannedbook!