The Handmaid's Tale: Margaret Atwood,
342607
I loved this book.  Margaret Atwood makes music with words, and she is also a phenomenal artist.  She points out the reality of life with the story she spins in such a manner that the reader gets it without realizing he/she is learning.  I recommend this book for every person who is open to learning, no matter what that person's age is.
4486772
The narrative collision in Margaret Atwood's 2000 novel is between the biographical recollections of Iris Chase Griffen and the novel "The Blind Assassin" written by her sister Laura Chase, who committed suicide in 1945.  Thrown in for good measure at strategic intervals are newspaper articles covering the deaths and other choice moments in the lives of the characters, most of whom move in the upper echelon of Canadian society.  We know that at some point the importance of the novel-within-a-novel (in which a man tells science-fiction stories to the woman with whom he is having an affair in backstreet rooms) for the real life story (the girl's father owns a button factory who marries off Iris to stave off financial ruin) will become painfully clear.  "The Blind Assassin" is not allegorical, mainly because it is to personal a tale to have that broad a meaning for its readers.  As Iris approaches death at the turn of the century, she looks back on her life in the 1930's and 40's, explaining it so that we understand the true import of her sister's novel.
I usually devour novels at a frantic pace but that proved impossible with "The Blind Assassin."  This was one of those novels where you would finish a part, which alternate between the narrative and the novel, and mull over what had just happened and how the pieces were coming together.  But even getting through individual chapters took time, because there were so many wonderfully written lines, so many finely crafted paragraphs, that you just had to sit back and enjoy them (or run around sharing them with people who were unfortunate enough not to have read this book yet).  Young Laura Chase tends to take things literally, and this old literary chestnut blooms anew in Atwood's novel; pithy sayings and wise old adages are routinely scrutinized for fallacious qualities throughout.  The result of this infatuation with Atwood's exquisite use of language is that I did not see the forest for the trees and was therefore completely stunned by the way things came together at the end.  But that is just fine, because it has been such a long time since I have read a book this well written.  I do not think it is destined to be a classic per se, because ultimately its greatness rests on style more than substance, but in terms of contemporary fiction this would have to rank on the next rung down the ladder.  I have several friends who are now eager to read this book, so after you are done with "The Blind Assassin" you should also pass the word along to those who crave literate literature.
478874
I really enjoyed this trilogy.  Margaret Atwood is a great writer and I'm always sad when I reach the end of one of her books.
2687135
I love the way Margaret Atwood writes, atmospheric and terse. She feeds you information as you need it, doling out the truth of the characters like treats to be savored. Heartbreaking and terrifying, beautifully told and touching. This book is amazing, but don't think you will forget about it soon.
4809548
"Thank you" to an English teacher colleague for recommending this book!  I loved it!  This is an author that writes prose like William Faulkner. Her characters have such depth.  The basic plot line is loosely developed around a true murder case that keeps you turning the pages.  When you close the book, you want to discuss it with someone else who has also read it. Thus, our Book Club is presently reading it and so far, I am hearing many positive comments.  This is Margaret Atwood at her best!
3463784
If a Margaret Atwood novel and a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel mated, this book might be the result. Lyrical without being pretentious, strong-hearted without being pedantic. Spectacular fiction in every sense, it resonates long after reading.
598096
This story is truly amazing and although it was written some time ago and now popular with the TV series, its content is very interesting and is part of the women's rights advancement and problem.  It should be read by all and given a good look at how society can dominate others.
3271990
The Queens Handmaid is Tracy L. Higleys finest work yet.  She has taken the history of the era of Herod the Great and Cleopatra, and woven a compelling fictional adventure throughout.

Lydia is valued servant to Cleopatra - but she is forced to flee Egypt with Herod to protect herself and a secret she harbors.  She becomes the handmaid to Herods Hebrew wife in Jerusalem.  This allows her to attempt to fulfill her destiny - to deliver scrolls about the coming Messiah to a Hebrew group that is committed to taking Israel away from Herod.  As she makes a new life for herself in Jerusalem, she confronts her discovery that she herself might be Hebrew.  Along the way, she meets a man who may well be the only person she has ever been willing to wholly love.

The story itself is fascinating, but what really grabbed my attention was Higleys devotion to bringing this era to life.  The research she put into this project causes the characters and the setting to leap out of the Kindle and into the room with the reader.  Lydia is a delight to read, and the points of view of the other characters make this story truly shine.

I admired Higley before I read this book, but she is now one of my favorite authors.  The Queens Handmaid is a book that cant be missed by anyone who is a fan of historical fiction.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
1030445
I read this when it was first published in the 1980's and have reread it at least once or twice since then.  Recently Amazon had a good deal on the ebook, so I added it to my collection.  The story is set in a near future United States which has been taken over by a religious autocracy and renamed Gilead.  Women may no longer work outside the home.  Dissidents have been rounded up and sent off to do environmental remediation in places that have been poisoned by industrial pollutants.  And people have become sterile.

The heroine, Offred, is now a Handmaid.  She has borne a child, so since she is known to be fertile she is placed with a family who have been unable to conceive their own child.  Any child she bears now will stay with Fred and his wife, while Offred will move to a new family (and receive a new name, since Handmaids are named for the head of the household where they live).

This book is chilling. It is an extrapolation of the position of women if the fundamentalist religions were able to take over the government and model society on their idea of the "right" way to live.  It's similar to what happened to women in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, except of course, in Afghanistan there were no handmaids (they would have been stoned for fornication, since the Handmaids do not marry.

Atwood is an excellent writer, and the subject is profound.  If you haven't read this book, I urge you to do so as soon as possible.
637652
Another great collection from Margaret Atwood.  Funny and disturbing look at aspects of growing older.
The fear-fantasy story in which angry young people attack the old folks home is a real chiller.
3586443
Margaret Atwood's finale to her dystopian trilogy, which began with Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood,is very much in the same vein as its predecessors.  MaddAddam paints a grim picture, but concerns itself with the resistance, and how humans have chosen to resist or survive in the new world order, post-plague.  The method of storytelling, with Toby narrating creation tales to the Crakers, works well even though the reader has to adjust to the back and forth between traditional novel narration and children's fables-style mythmaking. It is also wryly hilarious.  The deepened characterization of Toby and Zeb is excellent.

Atwood's cold, clear prose is a pleasure to read, and at times her dry, deadpan humor surfaces to break the icy veneer.  Followers of the trilogy will not be disappointed in the conclusion.  The ending manages to be both grim and uplifting simultaneously.
4337337
This is a story of a world in which the need for food was eradicated because the hair was genetically engineered so that it can photosynthesise sunlight. You think that this is an utopia. Wrong, in the hands of Roberts this book is a dystopia, in which the poor grow their hair and become poorer and the rich shave their heads, consume food like our world consumes the latest fashion clothing and become richer. By disposing of our hunger, Adam Roberts (much like a patient who removes his clothes in order to be properly examine by a doctor) writes a clearer but a disturbingly frightful mirror image of our world, our society, our families, our husbands and wives, daughters and sons. We explore this world through the eyes of 4 fascinating main characters, each of them being the voice of one of the 4 chapters. These 4 stories collide, then part away more than once, but in the end all the threads come together into something totally unexpected and mind blowing. And everything is narrated in a beautiful prose, that reminded me of Margaret Atwood. But in this book Roberts' prose is not as good as Atwood's, is better. And that says a lot. Fortunately for us Roberts broke free from the mind chains that will forever keep Atwood from exploring new and interesting territories. I think this is Roberts best book and one of the great novels of 2011. I can't recommend it enough.
3143238
Cat'sEye is one of my favorite novels of all time.  Margaret Atwood is such a superb writer, and totally portrays  the characters and the period in which they live.  I felt that I was actually a character in this novel;, everything about it was so familiar to the memories of my own life living and growing up in the  thirties. The setting and the story was like going back to your own childhood.  Wonderful.
4762290
This is without a doubt one of the best books of all time. The US government has been crippled by nuclear war and overthrown by a Christian Theocracy, which subjugates women and persecutes anyone who does not subscribe to the stated belief system. It's strict and secluded. The theocracy claims to protect its people, its women from how the world used to abuse them through rape and sexualization, by blaming the women and then perpetuating a worse sort of lifestyle. This book focuses on the story of one Handmaid, Offred (a name given to her after becoming a Handmaid). You can tell that Atwood is coming out of the feminist movement, as well as the backlash against feminism... Serena Joy was a lot like Phyllis Schlafly, who was quite vocal in her sense of traditionalism for women (and popularly, her stop ERA movement). Offred wasn't born a Handmaid; she remembers what life was like before and how the US changed. Much like the political apathy of today, most people in the US just slept or shrugged their shoulders, convinced that their world would go back to normal soon enough. By then, it was too late. Atwood's way of drawing out Offred's emotions, of putting visuals and sensations captivated me. I couldn't put this book down it was that addictive. I really felt what Offred was feeling and I understood why and how she came to be what she was. I only hope that the ending is what I believe.
30082
The Blind Assassin is the title of a book written post humously by Laura Chase, a woman who died suspiciously when her car plummeted off a bridge in 1945.  Fast forward 45 years and her older sister, Iris explains the details that led to her sisters death. In true Atwood fashion, this is a novel of suspense as the truth leaks out in various manners up until the surprising ending. Atwood has written 4 stories that interchange with each passing chapter..she potrays Iris Chase now as an older woman describing her life, and penning her memoirs to an estraged granddaughter; Iris as a young girl growing up as mentor and second mother to Laura; Iris at the time of her sister and husband's demise; and the story within The Blind Assassin book about lovers forbidden to meet.

 The best thing about this book is the descriptions that Atwood gives of these characters and their dialog. She knows what an elderly woman feels like, and you can believe the sound advice the nanny gives. Atwood is so believable and her storyline is tight. She has no flaws in her story except that she drags just a bit but that could be my impatience in wanting to know the truth. This book is great for anyone just introduced to Atwood's works. I would also suggest Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tales. Her books are always completely unique and worth the read.
1733178
This is by far the greatest dystopian novel since 1984. I thoroughly enjoyed it, Atwood's prose at times soars without being overly descriptive. My only quibbles--few and far between--came in rare instances when the narrator knew or inferred a bit too much from a scene and told the reader detail she couldn't have known, but that is so easy for an author to do. I loved it!
2221359
Margaret Oliphant should be required reading for all lovers and students of 19th century British literature. (I can't believe I only recently found out about her!).

"Hester" has excellently drawn and beautifully developed characters, very captivating story line, and most interestingly: A feminist message about women and their business acumen, and level-headedness, during times when men fail.