Amazingly written, only surpassed by how they portrayed Nick's coming out in the netflix series - although it's very faithfully I want what they have.
Amazingly written, only surpassed by how they portrayed Nick's coming out in the netflix series - although it's very faithfully adapted. 5 stars wholeheartedly! ♡
Also: Love Tara & Darcy!
Check out my review of volume 1 and 3 of Heartstopper here and here!...more
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love.
Watched the netflix series when it came out and fell in love with it. Feels amazing to watchBoy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love.
Watched the netflix series when it came out and fell in love with it. Feels amazing to watch some wholesome lgbt romance content with great characters that treat each other well (talking about the main cast). And now that I'm finally reading the comics I must say it's honestly crazy how they managed to cast the characters perfectly for the show and make the vibe feel almost the same while also expanding some of the side characters' arcs early on.
5 stars, recommendation for both the books and the netflix series. They're genuinely amazing! ♡
Check out my review of volume 2 and 3 of Heartstopper here and here!...more
Claustrophobic, astutely observant, thought provoking. A feminist classic. And one of my all time favourite books. 5 stars.
Huge recommendation for theClaustrophobic, astutely observant, thought provoking. A feminist classic. And one of my all time favourite books. 5 stars.
Huge recommendation for the Hulu series as well! Season 1 is basically the plot of the novel. But in later seasons Offred's story and world are expanded on in meaningful ways and side characters get their own fully fleshed out stories. I actually prefer the show in many ways. Nevertheless it's entirely worth reading the book first. Just don't expect it to cover as much ground as the show.
Update January 2024: I just watched season 5 of the show and it keeps getting better and better. I fucking love the series so much. Hope they make another season....more
A decent sequel with a very different tone than the first novel. Much more hopeful, muss less claustrophobic and therefore easier to read despite haviA decent sequel with a very different tone than the first novel. Much more hopeful, muss less claustrophobic and therefore easier to read despite having around 100 pages more than its predecessor.
The story is written from three different POVs, two young women coming of age in- and outside of Gilead as well as Aunt Lydia who surely was one of the "bad guys" in The Handmaid's Tale.
Plot I wouldn't go so far to say the story was realistic but it wasn't outright stupid. It delivered suspense and hope.
Agnes and Daisy I have some minor issues with how the two younger women were written but I would still consider them authentic characters. Their reaction to the "twist" was believebable to me. Yes, I as a reader saw it coming but they didn't. And how would they with the limited information they had?
Aunt Lydia I have to agree with many other reviews that Aunt Lydia's parts were strongly written, however I didn't like how she was portrayed. As if her actions were not so bad after all. Yes, she herself says quite a few times that she tortured and oppressed MANY women but it's all because she had to.
Having only her POV in this book, not the ones of her victims, knowing what risks she herself took to still protect women in certain ways and how she struggled with what she did plus seeing how the aunts admire her was interesting to read. It raises the questions "What would you do?". Just like in The Handmaid's Tale but with a different answer this time. Especially because her starting position was a much different one than Offred's due to their different age and usefulness for the regime. The beginning of her story explores how Gilead integrated older women who weren't able to become handmaids (or wives) into the system to help oppress other women. Becoming an aunt means relatively more freedom but ultimately still being at the mercy of the men leading Gilead.
Although I do appreciate all of this nuance I think overall this portrayal of Aunt Lydia minimized the pain of the handmaids. I actually like the TV show version of Aunt Lydia much more. (Big recommendation for the Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale"!)
Gilead Some people seem to criticize the portrayal of Gilead because they don't see how it benefits anyone within the system... I strongly disagree with this approach. There are at least two examples of men sexually exploiting women because the system enables them to do so.
Overall however it would be better for the majority of all people, not just women, if harmful ideas like biological essentialism, complementary gender roles derived from religion and victim blaming weren't perpetuated in Gilead and women had equal rights and freedom. The thing is that this is exactly what feminists say too.
Oppressive systems might benefit some people but the less oppression and discrimination the better for the whole of society. I think that's the whole point Margaret Atwood wants to make and she does that well.
Conclusion This book is very different from "The Handmaid's Tale" but I'm convinced that that must not be a bad thing. The first novel was released in 1985, this one in 2019, more than 30 years lie between them. Naturally they feel different.
So I can only say if you're expecting this one to be like the first novel in tone you will be disappointed. If you are however open for a different atmosphere or even watched the tv series "The Handmaid's Tale" you might like this book a lot for its different scope. 4 stars. :)
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