What are you reading? The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret ATWOOD

 Ana Melendo's contribution

The book

Source: Amazon

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale.

I’ve first discovered the series thanks to my oldest daughter, but soon when I’ve finished to watch the fourth or the fifth episode, I want to know more about it and then I’ve seen it was based on a book of the great Canadian writer Margaret ATWOOD.

I like very much dystopian stories, so I decided to read it. The novel seems to me much more interesting because of all the details it gives about that society, the different categories of people that existed in it, the way they took the power, which kind of society they wanted to establish, why they decided to fight for it. The most worrying is its resemblance to a certain current government.

In 2019, M. ATWOOD wrote a second part titled The Testaments: this one sheds even more light on the story and it is as entertaining as the first part. If you like dystopian novels, you surely love this one.

If you know other books like this one, please, tell it here.

The Author

Source: Wikipedia

Margaret Atwood is a celebrated Canadian author, poet, and literary critic, widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of our time. Born in Ottawa in 1939, Atwood has published more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and essays. Her work often explores themes such as gender, power, identity, and the environment, with a distinctive voice that blends sharp intellect and imaginative storytelling.

Atwood gained international acclaim with her 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian vision of a theocratic regime that strips women of their rights. The book became a cultural touchstone, resonating with readers across generations and sparking renewed interest with the award-winning television adaptation in 2017. It has been translated into over forty languages and is widely studied in schools and universities.

The impact of The Handmaid’s Tale on Atwood’s career has been profound, elevating her to global prominence and cementing her status as a powerful voice in feminist and speculative fiction. In 2019, she published The Testaments, a sequel that won the Booker Prize, shared with Bernardine Evaristo. Through her work, Atwood continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire readers worldwide.

“Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.”

— Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

If you want to know more about the series based on this book, below is the official trailer published on YouTube.

YouTube - Official trailer