This is my third time reading Margaret Atwood‘s The Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve been reading all of her novels (excluding the previously read books) for my Project Atwood Challenge, but I just couldn’t get rid of this one.
Leah from Books Speak Volumes and I were discussing the book recently, and decided to reread it together. Which was fun because we could chat about the book and both of us found symbolism or had interesting facts about different things from the book!
I’m finding it tough to write a review of this book, so here’s an edited version (spoilers taken out) of what I emailed to Leah:
First of all, I still love this book so much. Margaret Atwood does such a great job of slowly revealing the characters, their stories, and the dystopian society where they live. It’s amazing how she does it!
I didn’t remember not knowing for so long what the main character’s “job” is. It was about 25% of the way into the book before you found out about Offred’s main purpose as a Handmaid, what she actually has to do, even though you might be able to figure it out beforehand.
There is a lot of imagery that is used to convey sexuality, too. For instance, Serena Joy’s perfume was called Lily of the Valley, and the shop where the Handmaid’s dresses are purchased was called Lilies of the Field. I know that Chinese foot binding is a very sexual thing, with the goal of having “lily feet,” which are to only be seen and touched by their husbands. Also, flowers are all over the place in the beginning of the book, and even Offred says that they possess the reproductive parts of plants.
How sad I would be if I couldn’t read (like the Handmaids)!!! It kind of reminds me of how people didn’t want slaves reading, because knowledge is power.
As I was reading, I also kept thinking of good Quotable Friday quotes for Leah, one of her segments on her Books Speak Volumes blog. I think my favorite so far is this: “We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.”
To sum it up, The Handmaid’s Tale is even better the third time around. I now can appreciate the imagery without rushing through to understand the plot, and just take my time allowing the story to expand on its own.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is my favorite book of all time. Haven’t picked it up yet? It’s worth the read (or reread!).
What is your favorite book?
Putting it on the list!!!
I’m so glad!!!
This is a book that stayed with me long after I read it. I found it pretty disturbing and probably missed all the imagery/symbolism the first time, so it may be worth a re-read. Thanks for sharing!
I feel the same way. The reread was even better since I knew the main storyline and was able to really focus on the writing and the way the story was revealed.
Guess i’m going to have to read this one
Yes you will!
I read THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood about 3 years ago for my Grade 11 English class. My classmates dislike it but I find myself greatly intrigued by it. I think that it’s an excellent portrayal of a dystopian society where fertile women’s job are basically just to repopulate the world, whether they like it or not.
I remember being shocked at the graphic images the novel evoked, especially during the part where the General (am I correct?) is having a required sex with Offred and the the wife is present, holding Offred’s hands during the act.
The ending was also intriguing, but I wasn’t very satisfied with it. It’s more of an open-ended conclusion and I find myself wanting a more concrete (& happier) resolution.
Anyway, great post!
Best,
Jhobell Kristyl
http://bookmavenpicks.wordpress.com/
Yes, you’re correct with all of your statements.
I have found that during this reread, it has been really nice having Leah from Books Speak Volumes to discuss the novel, especially since the book itself leaves many questions that totally need to be discussed.
Yes, I think so too. Discussing a book, especially a book like THE HANDMAID’S TALE, with other people is a great way to find more meaning and satisfaction in the book. Thanks for sharing this post. It reminded me again how mentally-stimulating this books is.
Definitely! And the beginning is FILLED with symbolism! So that’s always great to discuss. Leah and I both noticed some different things to discuss, too, things I hadn’t noticed or she hadn’t noticed.
That’s great! It’s always good to have another person to discuss a book. You learn so many interpretations & other things that you might have missed when you are just reading it by yourself.
You said it perfectly!
And especially when it’s a more complicated read!
I LOVE The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s one of my all time favorites. I almost never re-read books, and I’ve read this more than once. I freaking love Atwood.
I’m also not usually a re-reader. But this book was so amazing, and even better during a re-read. You can really stop and focus on the story as it unfolds since you know what is going to happen in the end.
I would really like to re-read this one. It’s such a powerful book! Lovely review
Thanks! It was honestly better with the reread! I really was able to relax and enjoy the writing. Atwood is just an amazing author.
Now you really have me wanting to reread this book!
I have been thinking about it for a while now, but your commentary has brought back so many memories. And the quote you used about being the people in the white spaces on the edge of print…that is exactly what I love about Atwood’s books. She sees things and writes from such an interesting perspective. And she does that in all of her books. Great book!!
I agree wholeheartedly with your post. I sometimes forget how wonderful Margaret Atwood is with writing and how unique she is in revealing her characters and plot slowly but keeping the reader intrigued the whole time.
Margaret Atwood is one of my all-time favourite authors and this is the book that first introduced me to her. There’s so many hidden meanings in her writing and you can tell that every word she writes, she chooses for a specific reason. Have you read Oryx and Crake? And The Year of the Flood? Another two fantastic dystopian Atwood novels
I read Oryx and Crake, but need to read Year of the Flood. There’s a 3rd one coming out, too, but I’m not sure when. Another reader made it sound like maybe November is when it comes out, but we’ll have to see.
I LOVE The Handmaid’s Tale I had to read it for a course in undergrad and ended up writing a comparative paper on binaries (along with Woman on the Edge of Time – which you should totally read) for my Master’s. I definitely need to re-read it, it’s been almost 4 years since I last read it.
I’ve never even heard of Woman on the Edge of Time, but I’ll check it out!!! And it is wholeheartedly worth the reread!
Oh man I remember when we had to read this for AP English in Cooperman’s Class! I of course was horrified as a 17 year old reading this story, but it has stuck with me since then. I’ve thought about going back and rereading it, and now I definitely have to! I guess I’ll have to make Ryon go dig it out of the attic
)
Haha! I read it with Cooperman, too! And it’s worth the reread, so make Ryon a nice dinner. . . and then send him to go find it!
Interesting thoughts to read. I haven’t read the book yet, so I’ve not much knowledge, but I love what you’ve said of symbolism and how you related it to other cultures, it sounds really good.
You should read it! Have you read other Margaret Atwood books? If not, this is where you should start!
I read this a long time ago but it seems like the type of book that I would get more out of each and every time I read it. Maybe I will read it again. Rebecca (the book) is another one that gets better every time!
I know! I am trying to get ahold of it since it is my namesake!
I probably have it. I’ll check when I unpack the books.
Ok!!! Perfect! Let me know!
Thanks for your review. I just read this (for the first time!) so I enjoyed your comments. The shocking way they went about being a surrogate was told in a matter-of-fact way, but can you imagine how much the two women would despise each other? To realize this comes from the Bible! Could it be so easy to take women’s rights away? Wipe out all the advances women have made? Frightening, isn’t it? I’ll have to look at Leah’s comments too!
I think that Serena Joy has every reason to dislike Offred. I mean, the way the intimate moments go down each month is just disturbing, and you know that Serena Joy and the Commander cannot have a normal, healthy marriage with THAT situation in the middle!
And yeah, to think that they took the Bible and tweaked it to fit their disturbed needs is really scary.
If you can read it three times, I should go get it without any delays.
Yes!
It always takes me a while to settle into Atwood’s writing, and this book was no different. However, it was amazing when I did settle in, and I’d like to re-read it someday. I’m sure I missed plenty the first time around.
I KNOW I missed a lot! If you read it sometime soon, I’d be open to chatting with you about it! The first third of the book was honestly filled with symbolism and Atwood slowly revealed the story, which is something I forgot about.
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I really need to read more Atwood. I’ve read this and Alias Grace and loved them both – why can’t I get it together and read some more by her???
My best advice to you is to do Project Atwood because it’s not threatening and you only have to read one Atwood book a month. I changed my order around to meet my needs, but if you check out the link and then check out Heather’s Project Atwood @ Between the Covers, hers is in the appropriate order.
I just think Margaret Atwood is amazing, and having the goal of reading one per month is realistic and attainable! I try to go in the order of publishing, but honestly, I change it up based on what books I can get at the time. It’s just about reading, so it doesn’t really matter!
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