Will I love The Handmaid's Tale?

I was immediately struck by the quality of the writing. Atwood is a writer's writer - she understands how to use language to its full effect and how to arrange the words on the page so they do more than we expect of them.

I was spent after reading The Handmaids Tale. I am nothing more than a washed out rag after devouring this book. The writing. The plot. The currentness of everything in these pages. 2025 has been shaped by the rulers of Gilead. We are the Handmaidens.
Every woman should read this book. And then prepare themselves for the possibility of what might face us next.

What intrigues me about this book is the way the author, Margaret Atwood, took the (Genesis 30) story of Jacob, who impregnated his wife's handmaiden to produce the children which his wife could not conceive.

She then puts herself in the place of that handmaiden and asks some serious questions. Was that handmaid even given a choice in the matter? What would have happened to her if she had refused? She then rolls the same idea forward 4,000 years to a pseudo religious society in which the sole purpose of handmaidens is to use their bodies to conceive and gestate… show more.

I think most of us are familiar with this particular piece of speculative fiction, whether we've read it at school, picked it up as it became popular again in recent years, or whether we've simply seen the TV show.

I think this book is really important for people to read, now, more than ever, with what's going on in the world. It's quite terrifying to realize how easily the events of this book could happen and to see elements of it already in play.

What's comforting about this read is the steel-like resilience of the main character, June. It's fantastic… show more.

This is an iconic exploration of female disempowerment and the dangers of unchecked authority and religious extremism. The first time I read it was during the Reagan era, when it seemed entirely plausible that the Moral Majority could take over politics in the United States, resulting in a theocracy.

The events in the book may seem extreme, but as Atwood has pointed out, they are events that have played out in various ways all over the world. I think it should be required reading for every American.

I read this book when I was coming of age in the late 1980s, long before it became a bestseller and blockbuster television series. A formative influence, it’s the main reason I keep a “go bag” at the ready, with ID, three+ distinct cash currencies and a sharp knife.

Inspired by the biblical story of Jacob and his two wives, Leah and Rachel (and their handmaids), Atwood only included ‘real’ historical events and only used technology that was available at the time of writing (1984). This story lays bare the Puritan roots of 17th century American colonizing forces, the skeleton… show more.

I loved Margaret Atwood’s book, a cautionary story that shows how the extreme distortion of religious ideologies can lead to devastating outcomes. Offred endures unimaginable hardship under the guise of religious piety, but the reality is much more twisted.

Her determination to survive in such harrowing circumstances is inspiring and challenges us to reflect on our views and norms. 

I first read this book many moons ago. I love Margaret Atwood’s writing, and this book just jumps out of the page as a warning to everyone. I read it again after the Hulu series came out, and it has not lost its power. Could this really happen? 

Well, after the overturning of Roe vs Wade, it seems that it really could. Infertility is rising, reproduction is falling, and women’s reproductive rights are being steadily eroded. Atwood did say at the time that nothing in the book had not already happened somewhere in the world, but I don’t think anyone… show more.

From its first publication, this was my favorite book—a post-apocalyptic look at a world where women have lost their rights and are siloed into specific gender roles. I held my breath when the protagonist, Offred, finds ways to rebel, despite the risk of any visible state protest.

I love the complexity of the plot, where women sometimes help each other and other times join the persecution of women for self-survival. And I couldn’t read fast enough to see if Offred, riddled with fear yet finding her core of strength, finds a way out.

It’s a scary read, as it foretells… show more.

This is the novel that inspired whole shelves in the bookshops of recent women’s dystopian fictions (note how often their covers mimic the red and white of the handmaid’s uniform!) 

I write about Atwood a lot, and I'm most often asked to talk about this book. No matter how many times I return to The Handmaid’s Tale, I find something new to think about. 

Atwood took what was an often male-focused genre (think George Orwell’s 1984) and reimagined it from a woman’s perspective. For me, the most terrifying thing about Offred’s story is how ordinary she is –… show more.