First published in 1985, The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader is unable to forget its images and its forecast. With more than two million copies in print, it is Margaret Atwood's most popular and compelling novel. Set in the near future, it describes life in what once was the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead. Reacting to social unrest, and a sharply declining birthrate, the new regime has reverted to -- even gone beyond -- the repressive tolerance of the original Puritans. Offred is a ...
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First published in 1985, The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reader is unable to forget its images and its forecast. With more than two million copies in print, it is Margaret Atwood's most popular and compelling novel. Set in the near future, it describes life in what once was the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead. Reacting to social unrest, and a sharply declining birthrate, the new regime has reverted to -- even gone beyond -- the repressive tolerance of the original Puritans. Offred is a Handmaid who may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant because she is only valued as long as her ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now. Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.
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Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $2.95, fair condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $4.84, fair condition, Sold by Bulk Book Warehouse rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rotterdam, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin.
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Fair. Shows wear such as frayed or folded edges, rips and tears, and/or worn binding. May have stickers and/or contain inscription on title page. No observed missing pages. Considerable foxing and/or discoloration around edges.
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $8.49, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Handmaid's Tale to cart. $9.50, good condition, Sold by Orca Books Cooperative rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Olympia, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin.
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Used-G. Slight fraying to corner edges. This book has minor wear and is in very good condition. Help support Orca Books Cooperative--Olympia's only Co-op Bookstore!
Add this copy of Handmaids Tale to cart. $10.00, good condition, Sold by Northshire Bookstore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Manchester Center, VT, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin.
Add this copy of Handmaid's Tale to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by Orca Books Cooperative rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Olympia, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin.
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $15.99, good condition, Sold by True Oak Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Highland, NY, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Add this copy of The Handmaid's Tale to cart. $20.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
This book has received a lot of favorable reviews as portraying a woman's plight in a dystopic society, revealed in a diary. Unfortunately, the approach is one of narrating a story with too many characters to follow, very little dialogue, often interspersed with many confusing flashbacks that make it very hard to follow. The causation for the environment setting isn't revealed until more than half way through the book, which might have helped if it had been done a lot earlier. The writing was excellent but the story and ending don't class it as a best seller for me.
Curmudgeon
Oct 21, 2014
Tritely (science) fictional
Implausible situation even considering the time when written. That the "heroine" would be so brain washed that she forgot her adulthood (past life) in a relatively short time frame, estimated at ca. a decade, rings with contriteness. Story seems redundantly arcane, infused with historical references to previous societies sprinkled throughout.
photoshock
Jul 13, 2014
A Prescient Tale
Like so many of the famous tales of the future, The Handmaids Tale is a prescient look into a dystopian future where, in America, the religionists rule by fiat. None can stand against their rules for in this tale, the Bible has become the law and anyone who breaks the law has also sinned against the ruling party's dictates.
The fact is that The Handmaids Tale is one engrossing and revelatory story. I heartily recommend this story to all who have read, Animal Farm, Brave New World, 1984 and so many others of this genre.
Carol B
Sep 3, 2010
Not original but well done.
Not as good as "1984," but still good enough. Would have been better had the final disc not been so damaged that I missed the (predictable) ending.
carriej
Aug 25, 2009
Tough - but Worth It
This was the first book I read after joining a book club. It was WAY outside of my comfy box of Dan Brown & Harry Potter. This book really made me THINK for a change. I thought about concepts that I had never imagined possible before!! Scary - life changing concepts about how easily it would be for my money and freedom to be taken away. It's been 3 years since I read this book - and I STILL think about the ideas I was introduced to regularly. Excellent read. Great for broadening ideas about life. Great for book club discussions.