The Testaments- A Novel by Margaret Atwood
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Web ID: 10918704Still some lingering questions
It has been a while since I read the first book, but this one purports to answer the questions lingering from A Handmaidens Tale. I liked the multiple view points but I believe it left as many dangling questions as the first book. The prose is well written as Atwood has talent. Worth a read.
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A Must-Read Page Turner!
Very well written, at moments, it leaves you speechless, angry, sad, and hopeful. An excellent sequel to The Handmaid's Tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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Themes and quotes
Four major themes of the novel include: Power and control - The novel explores the ways in which power is wielded, maintained, and challenged in the oppressive regime of Gilead. Gender and feminism - The novel examines the subjugation and oppression of women in Gilead and the ways in which they resist and subvert the patriarchal system. Identity and self-discovery - The characters in the novel struggle to understand their own identities and place in the world, both within and outside of Gilead. Memory and history - The novel explores the importance of preserving and passing on the memory of past events and experiences in order to understand and resist oppressive regimes. Notable Quotes from the book: "The moment you step across the threshold into the Commander' world, you step into a world where the rules are different. And you can never step out again." "I have been a woman for a long time, longer than I care to remember." "The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters." "I have found that nothing is more powerful than a story." "The truth is a thing of the past." "I can't change the past, but I can change the future." "We are all human, we are all capable of great good, and of great evil." "The world is not a fairy tale, but neither is it a nightmare." "The past is always present." "What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it from happening again."
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A solid sequel, but questions remain
I thought this was a totally solid review to The Handmaid's Tale. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives once I got them straight in my mind, but there was a lot that felt really predictable. That coupled with the questions left unanswered (things I thought I already knew were proven true, but things I wanted to know were left unsaid), is why I only gave this 4 stars. I think if there was more coming and I thought the answers were going to tie together in the end, I might've enjoyed it more.
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A solid follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale.
A solid follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale and although it’s been years since I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale, I did not need a refresher before reading this one. Gilead. A place where women are assigned to a certain order based on their “talents”. Some are married off to high-profile men to live a somewhat respectable life, surrounded by other women to cater to whatever they may need, even a baby if they cannot have one naturally. Other women are tasked with finding more women like them. Others, find themselves fighting for the resistance in the form of “Mayday”. The Testaments focuses on Baby Nicole, who was whisked away from Gilead years ago. Much effort is spent trying to find her but the people involved in her disappearance have organized to the point where her disappearance and her eventual re-introduction is all part of a much larger plan to take Gilead down. This novel would have been captivating all by itself but reading it during the Supreme Court confirmation process, and realizing how much is currently at stake in the area of women’s reproductive rights, was chilling to say the least. I enjoyed this read. Atwood is a great storyteller and quickly pulls you in. My only complaint is that it was a little hard to keep track of all the “Aunts”. I often had to go back a few pages to remind myself who was who. My club chose this for our discussion this month and I think it’s a book that needs to be discussed so I am hoping for some good conversation.
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