Paperback, 314 pages
English language
Published Nov. 13, 1998 by Anchor Books.
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She 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 moth and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their 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.
Una lettura che mi ha preso. La struttura del libro è ottima. Il racconto è fluente ed intrigante. Adoro l'escamotage alla Manzoni in chiosa.
Mi ha fatto pensare e mi ha emozionato. Mi ha reso profondamente triste senza farmi commuovere.
Indimenticabile.
I read this classic just two years ago. It felt more relevant to the present than it may have been when it was written. This book is a revolutionary milestone in speculative fiction and probably feminist literature as well, but I found equally interesting that the text is based on progressive loss of innocence. The final chapter is incredible and left me very satisfied.
A book of important ideas, but difficult to read. It's slow going. Sometimes I felt as bored as the main character.
