We slept in what had become the gymnasium.
An edition of ↪ /works/OL15396204W
(1985)
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
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The Handmaid's Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population.
The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid's Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.
--front flap
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brothels, Canadian authors, Canadian fantasy fiction, Canadian fiction (fictional works by one author), Christian fundamentalism, Dystopian fiction, Dystopias, fantasy fiction, Fiction, Fiction, dystopian, Fiction, fantasy, general, handmaids, Large type books, Man-woman relationships, Man-woman relationships, fiction, military dictatorship, Misogyny, New York Times bestseller, nyt:e-book-fiction=2017-01-22, nyt:trade-fiction-paperback=2017-02-26, Old Testament, Political, political fiction, pregnancy, religious fanaticism, revolution, science fiction, Scrabble, Social aspects, theocracy, theonomy, totalitarianism, United States Congress, Women, Study guides, History and criticism, Handmaid's tale (Atwood, Margaret), Roman canadien de langue anglaise, Misogynie, collectionID:EanesChallenge, Romans, nouvelles, Femmes, collectionID:ConroeChallenge, FICTION / Dystopian, FICTION / Political, FICTION / Science Fiction, Teen fiction, World literature, Fiction subjects, Science fiction & fantasy, Comics & graphic novels, adaptations, Comics & graphic novels, literary, Comics & graphic novels, fantasy, DystopianPeople
Margaret Atwood (1939-), Offred, Commanders, Rachel, Bilhah, Aunts, Handmaids, Marthas, Econowives, Moira, Serena Joy, Ofglen, Nick, Eyes of God, Luke, Professor PieixotoShowing 11 featured editions. View all 146 editions?
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01
La servante écarlate
2017-07, Pavillons Poche/Robert Laffont
Paperback
in French
2221203321 9782221203323
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02
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03
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04
The Handmaid's Tale
2016, Vintage
paperback
in English
- 2016 Vintage edition (4)
1784871443 9781784871444
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05
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06
The Handmaid's Tale
2003?, Anchor Books
paperback
in English
- First Anchor Books Edition, April 1998 (55)
038549081X 9780385490818
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07
The Handmaid's Tale
1998-04, Anchor Books
Paperback
in English
- First Anchor Books Edition (9)
038549081X 9780385490818
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08
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09
The Handmaid's Tale
1986, Houghton Mifflin Company
Hardcover
in English
- 1st printing
0395404258 9780395404256
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10
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11
The Handmaid's Tale
1986, Houghton Mifflin Company
hardcover
in English
- printing (1)
0395404258 9780395404256
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Book Details
Published in
Boston, USA
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Work Description
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England, in a strongly patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state, known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States government. The central character and narrator is a woman named Offred, one of the group known as "handmaids", who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the "commanders" — the ruling class of men in Gilead.
The novel explores themes of subjugated women in a patriarchal society, loss of female agency and individuality, and the various means by which they resist and attempt to gain individuality and independence.
The Handmaid's Tale won the 1985 Governor General's Award and the first Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987; it was also nominated for the 1986 Nebula Award, the 1986 Booker Prize, and the 1987 Prometheus Award.
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Links outside Open Library
- Wikipedia page
- Wikidata
- The Handmaid's Tale - Wikipedia
- sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/
- Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale feels real in 2019, but the solution won’t come from novels
- An analysis of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Handmaid's Tale | Plot, Legacy, & Facts | Britannica.com
- VIAF ID: 186154411 (Work)
- thegreatestbooks.org/items/1368
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- Created November 11, 2021
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| March 7, 2023 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| February 15, 2023 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| December 22, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| December 11, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| November 11, 2021 | Edited by AgentSapphire | add IA ID |