As a lover of books, it’s hard not to pick out books that really defined my literary love affair; books that carved a path towards my fascination with books, with writing, with falling completely for the written word. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was one of those books. In many ways, it defined the kind of writer I wanted to become; the kind of reader as well. The first time I read The Handmaid’s Tale, I fell head in. The idea that a writer could conjure up an entire world, with characters I felt hopelessly devoted to, blew my then pre-teen mind. To say I was eager for The Testaments, The Sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale to be released all of these years later, after the huge success of the HBO television version of The Handmaid’s Tale, would be an understatement.
The book didn’t disappoint, though I think I still crave more. (If you were hoping for closure, or even a “happily ever after” story about “Offred,” this book isn’t it.) Written as letters, or testimonies, of three characters – two young women we get to know through the story, and Aunt Lydia (an exceptionally written and complex character) – the pages of The Testaments detail the fall of the dystopian (and failing) Gilead from the point of view of both the women, gender-traitors, who run the regime, and also the younger women born into the system.
100% worth the read.
From Amazon:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
The Testaments is a modern masterpiece, a powerful novel that can be read on its own or as a companion to Margaret Atwood’s classic, The Handmaid’s Tale.
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third: Aunt Lydia. Her complex past and uncertain future unfold in surprising and pivotal ways.
With The Testaments, Margaret Atwood opens up the innermost workings of Gilead, as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
Join the conversation - we can't wait to hear from you! Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Editor's Note: Please remember to be kind. Glitter, Inc. is a place for positivity, inspiration, and sharing. Comments that are deemed to be inappropriate, including general or self-promotional spam, offensive statements, or comments unrelated to the story will be deleted. Thank you!