The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood

I just finished reading this novel today! (02.01.20)

I made some bullet points whilst reading it, and, just like with my post on Madame Bovary, I'll copy them in here!

• Love love love her style of writing- find it similar to mine

• Find some things so relatable- ‘the way the toes felt, pushed towards the opening in the shoe by the whole weight of the body.’

• Find her style of writing very similar to Sylvia Plath's

• Lots of references to tulips, just like my favourite poem! (Tulips by Sylvia Plath) -‘the red of the smile is the same as the red of the tulips’

• Found it easy to read right from the start and am really enjoying it

• I really love how short the chapters are

• Here- pg 131- about men- ‘But there’s something missing in them, even the nice ones’. This links to what Julia says of Rex (in Brideshead Revisited)- she says something like- ‘he’s not a whole human being’

• Gender inequality is another theme- I like it- thought provoking . The men control the women. Bodily autonomy.

• Animosity- strong hostility

• I love how 2 stories are told at once, everything gradually comes together (the storyline) I am not left feeling confused, and it’s lovely to gradually learn more information so a whole picture forms.

• Don’t take anything for granted- especially true during corona times- page 202- ‘He put his arms around me. We were both feeling miserable. How were we to know we were happy, even then? Because we at least had that: arms, around.’

• Discusses religion and gender roles.

• We sympathise with the narrator even though she has disobeyed the rules

• So easy to read and enjoyable.

• I want to find out what happens to her, I want to know more about Luke and her daughter

• The blurb was misleading- her life depends on two men? I never see that.

• The historical notes make me sad- that all this pain and passion has been dried up and is being examined scientifically in this way.

• I feel sad every time I finish a book- like saying goodbye to a family and a different life.

• I want to know what happened to Nick.

• I wish and hoped that Offred would get pregnant- wanted to experience the birth with her- wanted it from her point of view.

• And if so- who would she be pregnant by? Nick or the Commander.

I really recommend this book. I read it in about three days. It was gripping, interesting, thought provoking, shocking, different, relatable and well written.

I'd love to expand and go into depth, but later!