REVIEW: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Narrated by Claire Danes

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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Narrated by Claire Danes
Publishing information: Audible
Publisher: Audible Studios; 20 July 12
ISBN: 978-0385490818
Standalone
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Audible
Amazon

Synopsis: "The seminal work of speculative fiction from the Booker Prize-winning author, soon to be a Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, and Joseph Fiennes.

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 month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days 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 literary tour de force."

The Handmaid's Tale is one of those books that every reader of speculative fiction should read at some point in their life, or so I have been told. It is one of those classic works that sits up there with 1984 or Brave New World. With the current political climate the way it is, it has seen a resurgence. It also probably doesn't hurt that there is an upcoming series as well. However, I was in search of a new audible book to listen to in the office and the book has been in the back of my mind for quite some time. I decided to finally get around to reading it.

The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel where the US government has fallen apart and a new government has taken over and women are reduced to chattle. The main character's job is simple conceive children for the republic. It takes awhile before we learn of the main character's name, Offred, she is a handmaid in the service of the republic and tells of the physical and psychological burdens of life in Gilead.

Offred, the handmaid, had a life before she was found to be fertile and through a series of flashbacks we slowly learn how she came to be in the service in the republic as well as what her life was like before the Republic of Gilead took over.

The book does draw a few parallels to the current political climate and I definitely see why it is such a poignant novel as it definitely deserves all of the praise that has been heaped upon it. However, I am not sure I would have been able to finish the book had it not been for Claire Danes narration. The book was written fairly dry and Danes does an impressive job of keeping me interested in the story. That said, the story and its dire warning resonate and I can see why it remains a classic to this day.

Overall 7/10
Narration 8.5/10
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