The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1998, Paperback)

i got the book within a week, in proper packaging, in the condition i was said to be in. i would buy another book from this seller.

Bought this for my 16 yr old daughter who needed to read it for school. Lucky for me, we have an open, talkative, relationship. There are some very, very sexually explicit passages in this book. I was surprised that it was on the school's list of suggested reading. I believe I know now why it is not available in the school library.

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The Handmaid's Tale
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Review Summary

A shocking dystopia: Could it happen in America?
Apr 17 '00 (Updated Apr 17 '00)

Author's Product Rating


Pros
The writing is incredible, engrossing, and horrifying.

Cons
I already mentioned horrifying.


Full Review
This is one of the very few books I didn't sell back at the end of the semester from my Core I class. The Handmaid's Tale is one of the best books I have ever read, and I suggest it to absolutely everyone.

Required for Core I - Perspectives on the Individual, I had to read Margaret Atwood's novel. I am glad, though, because it's a book I most likely would never have even picked up otherwise.

Offred ("Of Fred") is the narrator of this story. Ripped from her home and family after a very extremist Christian group had overthrown the U.S. Government, she is now basically property, maybe even a pet, to her Commander. Her sole purpose in life is to bear him a child, as many women have been rendered infertile due to nuclear radiation and other factors. Her "freedom from" is great - freedom from harm, freedom from fanciful emotions like love and passion. But her "freedom to" do anything else has been restricted to all but the bare essentials - eating, sleeping, doing her exercises, going to buy food, and preparing for the "ritual" where the Commander will try to impregnate her.

Atwood creates a whole different world, a counter reaction to the greater liberalization of society. The Japanese women in their lipstick and high heels are used as a symbol of "what America had been before," a world that Offred can't even relate to anymore.

With increasingly more liberal attitudes today, are we going to come full circle and revert once again to an ultra-conservative state? This is what Atwood suggests when creating the Republic of Gilead. The Commanders, the Wives, the Handmaids, the Marthas, and the Eyes... Could it really happen? The mere thought sends chills down my spine.

I also love the very end of the book. If you haven't read it, I won't spoil it for you. I believe it is an "Afterward" that puts a whole new spin on the entire book you just read. Absolutely ingenious.

You will despise almost everything you read in this book, but it will make you think. And that's what is so great about it. I've heard that it was made into a movie some years ago, but I haven't been able to locate it. I also heard that an X-Files fan had written a great fan-fic crossover where Scully became Offred and Mulder became Nick, one of the Eyes. I keep hoping to come across either of these things, because The Handmaid's Tale is that fantastic.

Good service and book. and then reasonable price. I decided to buy it cause i am taking this class on Fall semester

This novel is not a work of genius designed to make you think. It is a politically correct straw man designed to indoctrinate you. Even Hitler's Germany produced no such culture as Gilead; indeed, such a society is not envisioned by ANY conservative or Christian group - it's all made up. Ask yourself - would ANYONE really act this way? A "Christian" slave state? Come on, America was FOUNDED by conservative Christians. They don't want a world like this any more than atheists, secularists, or Jews do. This novel is just a cover for anti-religious slander. The author's intention is to attack a certain religion - it is hate literature. Here in Canada we are taught to respect other people's religions - everyone should respect others, yes, even aggressive feminists like the author should. Handmaid's Tale is an ugly, offensive work of bigotry, the kind of thing Nicholas II and Hitler served up about the Jews before targeting them. Fairminded college profs will expose it, not require it.

Pretty good seller, nice experience! Shipping was fast and the book was nice as well!!!! Thank you^&^

I liked this book a lot, although the ending was abrupt and left much to the readers imagination. It was very interesting and haunts the reader well after the book is over.

I bought this book for one of my college courses and I needed it for cheap. I liked the fact that it was still readable and intact even though it was used.

This book of "futuristic fiction," by Margaret Atwood, is an excellent, yet controversial, tale of a handmaid in Gilead. Though at first I was hesitant at reading a very woman-oriented, dystopic book, by the end I found it incredibly gripping and thought-provoking. I definately became uneasy at certain parts where Atwood's Gilead seems very much like current-day America, but I'm sure Atwood planned this type of comparison. This book moves quickly and has surprises at every turn. Having been banned or challenged many times, there are certainly parts that are mature and/or controversial, but the "shock" is part of the fun.

Great seller. i received the book very quickly and seller answered all my questions I had. Thanks!

The book was in great condition and it was shipped very quickly. The price was right and it came just in time for class

The book showed up as it was described and in an reasonable amount of time. I am fully satisfied with this seller and will buy from him/her if the opportunity arises again.

Have read others copies of the book and absolutely loved it! I wanted a copy of my own. Very interesting combination of Sci Fi and a different culture that could hit so close to home.

I read the Handmaids tale with a book club. It was a great book to read and discuss. We talked about ties from from the book to todays Bush Administration. We also talked about the separation or the unity of Church and State. The book brought up many interesting topics. I really liked this book.