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Michael Finocchiaro's Reviews > The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale
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Michael Finocchiaro's review
bookshelves: fiction, dystopian, novels, canadian-20th-c, feminism, made-into-movie, arthur-clarke-award-winner
Mar 17, 2017
bookshelves: fiction, dystopian, novels, canadian-20th-c, feminism, made-into-movie, arthur-clarke-award-winner
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a tale of terror as well as a warning. The dystopian future she describes in "Gilead" which appears to be centered in Boston (due to the reference to Mass Ave and the town of Salem) is chillingly misogynistic where women are reduced to strict categories: Martha for housework and cooking, Jezebels (easy to guess, right?), Eyes, Angels (soldiers for the state), infertile Wives and potentially fertile Handmaids. It is beautifully written with lots of flashbacks of "Offred",
the protagonist's name, of how things devolved into the horrors of her present. It is disturbing because it exposes the politics of reproduction and male sexuality taken to extremes of violence that are shocking and, yet, probably seemed one possible future during the Reaganite 80s when she wrote the book and now feel like the world of which Michael Pence in particular and perhaps Paul Ryan but most definitely Steve Bannon must dream. Could things so change as quickly as she describes in the book? Let us hope not. #resist
It is certainly the most explicitly feminist dystopian book I have ever read. It was thought-provoking cover to cover.
All in all, a very well-written feminist text that should serve as a clarion call for defending women's rights to maintain control over their own bodies and lives now and forever.
Just found this article about my last point: here
Drumpf's sexist, violent tweet against Morning Joe and the escalating attacks against reproductive freedom are moving the American experiment dangerously towards Atwood's Gilead. #resist
Apparently, there are also changes at the CIA that bring the spectre of Gilead a little closer. In another note, I just got Mona Eltahawy's Headscarves and Hymens which is also on subject.
Any of my review readers want to tell me whether the Hulu show about this book is worth my time or not?
[UPDATE] I have watched the first two seasons of the Hulu series and am hooked. That being said, I have watched 5 episodes of S03 and been disappointed. For those who may not know, only S01 is based on the book. The other two seasons are new writing (but with Margaret Atwood supervising the writer's room).
I am quite interested to know if anyone has already read the sequel that was just published in September 2019?
[UPDATE] The sequel The Testaments was pretty good. My review here.
the protagonist's name, of how things devolved into the horrors of her present. It is disturbing because it exposes the politics of reproduction and male sexuality taken to extremes of violence that are shocking and, yet, probably seemed one possible future during the Reaganite 80s when she wrote the book and now feel like the world of which Michael Pence in particular and perhaps Paul Ryan but most definitely Steve Bannon must dream. Could things so change as quickly as she describes in the book? Let us hope not. #resist
It is certainly the most explicitly feminist dystopian book I have ever read. It was thought-provoking cover to cover.
All in all, a very well-written feminist text that should serve as a clarion call for defending women's rights to maintain control over their own bodies and lives now and forever.
Just found this article about my last point: here
Drumpf's sexist, violent tweet against Morning Joe and the escalating attacks against reproductive freedom are moving the American experiment dangerously towards Atwood's Gilead. #resist
Apparently, there are also changes at the CIA that bring the spectre of Gilead a little closer. In another note, I just got Mona Eltahawy's Headscarves and Hymens which is also on subject.
Any of my review readers want to tell me whether the Hulu show about this book is worth my time or not?
[UPDATE] I have watched the first two seasons of the Hulu series and am hooked. That being said, I have watched 5 episodes of S03 and been disappointed. For those who may not know, only S01 is based on the book. The other two seasons are new writing (but with Margaret Atwood supervising the writer's room).
I am quite interested to know if anyone has already read the sequel that was just published in September 2019?
[UPDATE] The sequel The Testaments was pretty good. My review here.
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Reading Progress
October 7, 2016
– Shelved
October 7, 2016
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 26, 2016
– Shelved as:
fiction
October 26, 2016
– Shelved as:
dystopian
November 21, 2016
– Shelved as:
novels
March 17, 2017
–
Started Reading
March 18, 2017
–
Finished Reading
March 20, 2017
– Shelved as:
canadian-20th-c
March 20, 2017
– Shelved as:
feminism
May 11, 2017
– Shelved as:
made-into-movie
April 23, 2022
– Shelved as:
arthur-clarke-award-winner
Comments Showing 1-50 of 85 (85 new)
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🥀 Rose 🥀
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 18, 2017 08:04AM
I started calling mike pence the handmaids tale guy the minute his name was thrown in the ring. Terrifying times!
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I thought the same thing about him and others. This book is definitely a warning, people!
On the shelf... just waiting for right moment... and your review is kindda pushing me start soon! Thanks!
Loved, loved this book. The TV show looks as if it is hasn't a chance to measure up.
Wonderful review of a wonderful book! And I hate to say that I believe "things can change as quickly as Ms. Atwood describes in the book" ... let's hope not.
Thanks for the compliments! And I also hope that things do not degrade. #resist
Nice review Fino! I also love this book. With recent events I was inspired to reread it a couple of months ago. Things are moving so quickly (I mean my head is spinning!) that I believe it is important to stay vigilant and vocal so as women we don't lose our rights to our own body! I'm skipping the TV show, I want the book to stay the way it is in my mind. For Laura and others who haven't read it - can't wait to read your reviews!
Thanks Patty and Susanne!
Thank you for the review! And yes, terrifyingly close these days.
I really did not enjoy this book. I couldn't finish.
I wish you well with #resist. A sadly good review.
Never saw the movie...@Mark I had a few false starts before getting thru it this time around@Cecily, William and Rita: thanks :)
Totally agree! I just read the book and the scariest thing for me is that less than a year ago I would have found the premise ridiculous, now I not only think it's possible but I think we may be getting closer to a "Gilead" than we ever thought possible. Absolutely terrifying!
And getting worse if Le Pen wins 10 days from now. She is shameless and despicable.
Excuse me? She is a fascist and being bankrolled by the Russians. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Perhaps you missed the soundclip where she says "heuresement on n'a pas beaucoup des Sikhs [en France]" or photos of her with prominent French racists or the fact that she wants to pull us out of Europe and NATO?
And in any case, the matter of abortion (IVG) and laïcité is quite different from in the US. No, France under Le Pen would not look like Atwood's reproductive factory, but it would still be fasciste and Le Pen is a committed white supremacist Catholic, not a laic.
Ok, when I said Russian, I was talking about Putin and his banks, not the Russian people. But, this was a political book and thus the discussion in the comments in not entirely irrelevant IMHO
?? Besides Crimea, Ukraine, hacking the US election and now hacking the French election...you mean besides that?
Ok, enough of the soap box. Back to our regularly scheduled programming. Atwood's book remains a warning about fascist creep.
Ok,FALSE and False
1.Crimea voted to join Russia volunteeraly because of the war!
2.What do you mean Ukraine?They started the war them selves as majority didnt want to join EU so rebels(right sector) started the war against the peaceful side LNR and DNR which are now independent
3.HACKING?Give me proof go on…
wait there is None and of course setrotypicaly Putin gets the blame
4Hacking in france is impossibe as they counted the votes by HAND!
1.Crimea voted to join Russia volunteeraly because of the war!
2.What do you mean Ukraine?They started the war them selves as majority didnt want to join EU so rebels(right sector) started the war against the peaceful side LNR and DNR which are now independent
3.HACKING?Give me proof go on…
wait there is None and of course setrotypicaly Putin gets the blame
4Hacking in france is impossibe as they counted the votes by HAND!
Michael i agree with u on putin but what are your thoughts on trump?
guys…please can we not do the whole trump thing!
or the putin thing…i didn't take history for a reason :) but i understand where you guys are coming from
Good review Michael : this book is a warning against all kinds of totalitarian systems
Thank you for your review and also the essay by Ms Atwood. Very interesting and I feel somewhat prophetic. I have lived through the beginnings of the feminist movement and watched how it was downgraded in the 80's, revived somewhat in the 90's and then rather made a subject to avoid in the coming of the 21st century. Currently it appears due to the laws being questioned and the partisanship in the current congress, again this issue is being debated and that women are losing valuable ground that was hard fought for in the 70's. We see all male panels and committees debating women's issues without representation from women who know our bodies best. So is that so different from the depictions and ideas set forth in the book?? We also have a president who makes sexually oriented remarks and degrades women verbally without an repercussion or question of accountability. How different is that from the theme of the book. It seems that women from ancient times were always fighting for their own equality and being dominated by men. This is the 21st century and we have more than proved our equality in our ability to do men's jobs, manage without men and are willing to treat men as our equals. Why do men continue to try to prove that women are inferior to them. It's just not so.
Agreed, it is definitely not so. #FuckMisogyny #resist
So many friends are telling me I need to read this fantastic review.
Love your review, Michael Finocchiaro.I'm glad that France dodged a bullet and got Emmanuel Macron instead. At least Trump has, albeit inadvertently, done some good: He provided a cautionary tale to France, the Netherlands and, soon, Germany. (Remember when Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilder, and Frauke Petry were going to ride Trump's coattails into office? The reality of Trump put an end to people's flirting with fascism.) At least something good has come out of this Trumpster Fire.
Thanks Warrengent and Ivonne. @Ivonne, if we are to consider Drumpf a "good" thing, it is certainly a Pyrrhic one in that already religious, sexual reproductive,
LGBT and minority rights are taking a beating. Not to mention the normalization of racist, sexist, crass discourse in the public sphere.
Ivonne wrote: "Love your review, Michael Finocchiaro.I'm glad that France dodged a bullet and got Emmanuel Macron instead. At least Trump has, albeit inadvertently, done some good: He provided a cautionary tale..."
I was very pleased when Emmanuel Macron was elected. I still fear for our country and its future but I applaud the people of France for making a good decision.
Very nice review. I myself am on the fence about some of the issues brought up in this book, mostly abortion, but I can see how relivent it is becoming.
Thanks Jenny. There can be no compromise on women's ownership of their reproductive and sexual freedoms.
I can agree with that! Even though I believe a baby has life when its heart starts beating, and do not think abortion should be used as birth control unless it was concieved against the womans will, I do not think it should be outlawed as there are already laws in place for when it may be done to prevent it being anything more than what it is, a medical procedure (if that makes sense)
As long as a woman has the choice to exercise her right (and access to RU-486), that is fine for me because the key issue is reproductive freedom, no more forced or undesired pregnancies. Oh, sex ed starting in middle school as well as access to birth control is also crucial to avoid Gilead becoming reality.
Exactly. The new thing of teaching abstinence only almost guarantees more unwanted pregnancies. I have no problem with it being taught as the only 100% effective control, but the others need to be taught as well.
Ignorance always ends up barefoot and pregnant (and more often than not, alone)
We can't assume the wives are infertile. It may be (gasp) the men.
The book was dystopian in nature when written in 1985 but here is a study with interesting facts which need to be revisited and further studied.http://www.reuters.com/article/us-hea...
I saw the first three episodes and found them to be a strong adaptation to that point.
The Hulu show was really excellent. I highly recommend it. Did you know that Margaret Atwood is very involved in season 2, which will essentially be a sequel to the novel, where season 1 ended just like the novel in a somewhat open ended fashion. And are you calling our President a lying, sexist misogynist pig...well dud! Guess you're just stating the obvious.
Yes, stating the obvious, but 36% of the US unfortunately still backs Drumpf :-/Thanks, I'll check out the show!
