The Handmaid's Tale
9 journalers for this copy...
Picked this up at the LPL booksale last month.
Received this the mail the day before yesterday. Thanks so much for the book swap on sf-books.com AnnaKY! Sorry for the delay in journalling the arrival...RL has been busy the last week or two.This will be a bookring as soon as I've finished it. Below is the mailing order for this book. Please contact the next person once you receive the book in order to get their shipping info. Also, please remember to make a journal entry when you receive it to let us know its safe and either edit that or make another one with your opinion of the story, and then finally, a release note once you're ready to mail it on. Thanks!
The Handmaid's Tale
1.JeepACV Finished
2.Megi53 asked to be skipped
3.WritinReader Finished
4.jenvince asked to be skipped
5.RlyLv2Rd Finished
6.Flakes Finished
7.humberts-doll Finished
8.Jengif Finished
9.billhookbabe Asked to be skipped?
10.Loeweneckerchen Received
11.Aliera
Then back to me
From the back of the book:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife 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 years 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...everything has changed.
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This dystopian tale of a future society where religious fundamentalists have taken control of America was so incredibly engrossing I finished it within a 24 hour period. I found it to be powerfully moving and terribly frightening at the same time. The poor Handmaid's are valued only for their reproductive powers and the atmosphere of oppression permeates the language of this novel.
A particularly nightmarish thought for me was the fact that pictures were substituted for words in order to begin to "dumb down" the female population. That within a period of time, these women would not be able to read, critically think, or make decisions of any sort still gives me the shivers.
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife 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 years 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...everything has changed.
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
This dystopian tale of a future society where religious fundamentalists have taken control of America was so incredibly engrossing I finished it within a 24 hour period. I found it to be powerfully moving and terribly frightening at the same time. The poor Handmaid's are valued only for their reproductive powers and the atmosphere of oppression permeates the language of this novel.
A particularly nightmarish thought for me was the fact that pictures were substituted for words in order to begin to "dumb down" the female population. That within a period of time, these women would not be able to read, critically think, or make decisions of any sort still gives me the shivers.
Release planned for Monday, June 07, 2004 at BookRing in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.
to JeepACV via media mail
to JeepACV via media mail
This arrived today and will be read soon. Thanks for sharing this one, jamieh2003, I've been looking forward to reading it for some time.
06/13/04 - I just finished this book, and I'm still absorbing it. I was quite disturbed during the reading at how not-so-far-off some of the premise could be if fundamentalists somehow ended up getting into real power. I was struck with the fact that there are countries today where women exist (not exactly, but close) like this. It is very disturbing to start thinking along those lines. I enjoyed the book, the writing was eloquent and engaging, and the characters were certainly not flat. It is certainly thought-provoking.
06/13/04 - I just finished this book, and I'm still absorbing it. I was quite disturbed during the reading at how not-so-far-off some of the premise could be if fundamentalists somehow ended up getting into real power. I was struck with the fact that there are countries today where women exist (not exactly, but close) like this. It is very disturbing to start thinking along those lines. I enjoyed the book, the writing was eloquent and engaging, and the characters were certainly not flat. It is certainly thought-provoking.
Journal Entry 6 by JeepACV at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Released on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 at Bookring in Bookring, A Bookring Controlled Releases.
shipped via media mail today
shipped via media mail today
Just got this in the mail, will read and pass on ASAP....thanks.
I finally started reading this yesterday, it won't take me long to finish then I'll journal again.
I found this to be a very powerful book as well as very disturbing. I recently read another book titled I WHO HAVE NEVER KNOWN MEN that brought out similar emotions in me. This book like the other I just mentioned made me think of all the 'little' things I take for granted each day. Thank you for sharing this book!
This book is getting ready to go and visit Rlylv2rd.....it will be in the mail sometime between now and this weekend. :)
By the grace of God (or whatever diety you believe in) did this book arrive. It has been scotch taped and completely opened, but the good ol USPS must have noticed it in the nick of time as they rescued it and put in in a plastic bag which was very securely shut! It arrived in the plastic bag next to it's packaging! Yea!! I am in the middle of The Time Traveler's Wife (what an amazing book) so this will be next!!! Can't wait!
O.K. Now that I have begun to absorb some of the book, I have drawn some correlations. Mind you, these are just my opinions, and I do not wish to offend anyone...but, here goes.
Right about the middle of the book I started to realize that some of the missives of this supposedly utopian society seem to be similiar to what the far right wing (GWB) seems to be pushing for. We have a society that is completely dominated by the powerful males. They rank people accordingly, and the lower your rank, the less power you assert.
Women are merely an afterthought. They are there to breed (contraception and choice are put in the hands of the men), and be domesticated.
Thoughts which differ from those in power are not tolerated. Everyone is expected to subjugate under the all powerful.
One quote which really sent it home was (page 273-274) ~
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better."
"Better? I say in a small voice. How can this be better?"
"Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some."
Another really profound quote was during the marital ceremony (pg 286) ~
"Let the women learn in silence with all subjection." Here he looks us over. "All," he repeats.
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
"For Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
"Notwithstanding she shall be saved by childbearing...."
By page 308, when he explains the reaosning behind "The Club," I am again drawn to the similarities between our current U.S. President and how he handles his position. It seems the exact same thing as he is stating "do as I say, not as I do. Yeah, there are rules, but the big boys don't have to follow them. The rules are set for the minions."
I don't know. This book was scary because I don't think it is as far off as we all want to believe, and it was written almost 20 years ago. We have less privacy, more government control, less power as women in decisions that affect ourselves personally. Our overall healthcare has been minimized to deny choices that our goverment does not feel we are capable of making as they differ from their religious beliefs. Heck, in the beginning of the book they even stated that some of this began due to blame on Islamic fundamnetalists...
I apologize for my comments, but this book really had me going from, "CRAZY STUFF, like that would ever happen" to "Are we really that far away from that at least figuratively?"
Great Book! Thanks for sharing!
Right about the middle of the book I started to realize that some of the missives of this supposedly utopian society seem to be similiar to what the far right wing (GWB) seems to be pushing for. We have a society that is completely dominated by the powerful males. They rank people accordingly, and the lower your rank, the less power you assert.
Women are merely an afterthought. They are there to breed (contraception and choice are put in the hands of the men), and be domesticated.
Thoughts which differ from those in power are not tolerated. Everyone is expected to subjugate under the all powerful.
One quote which really sent it home was (page 273-274) ~
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better."
"Better? I say in a small voice. How can this be better?"
"Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some."
Another really profound quote was during the marital ceremony (pg 286) ~
"Let the women learn in silence with all subjection." Here he looks us over. "All," he repeats.
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
"For Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
"Notwithstanding she shall be saved by childbearing...."
By page 308, when he explains the reaosning behind "The Club," I am again drawn to the similarities between our current U.S. President and how he handles his position. It seems the exact same thing as he is stating "do as I say, not as I do. Yeah, there are rules, but the big boys don't have to follow them. The rules are set for the minions."
I don't know. This book was scary because I don't think it is as far off as we all want to believe, and it was written almost 20 years ago. We have less privacy, more government control, less power as women in decisions that affect ourselves personally. Our overall healthcare has been minimized to deny choices that our goverment does not feel we are capable of making as they differ from their religious beliefs. Heck, in the beginning of the book they even stated that some of this began due to blame on Islamic fundamnetalists...
I apologize for my comments, but this book really had me going from, "CRAZY STUFF, like that would ever happen" to "Are we really that far away from that at least figuratively?"
Great Book! Thanks for sharing!
Received today, and I'll start reading it right away!
What an amazing book! Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
The plot is engrossing, revealed in bits and pieces. The society created here was intriguing but unlikely, but I saw that it worked perfectly for the story the book was telling.
Margaret Atwood really makes you think about liberties we all take for granted on a daily basis. I highly recommend this book.
The plot is engrossing, revealed in bits and pieces. The society created here was intriguing but unlikely, but I saw that it worked perfectly for the story the book was telling.
Margaret Atwood really makes you think about liberties we all take for granted on a daily basis. I highly recommend this book.
On the way to humberts-doll via media mail!
I've said "Wow that was fast" about deliveries before, but that really was fast! Also good timing. I'm going out of town in a few days and was worried that this would arrive while I was away. Now I have something to read while I'm gone. Unless I finish it before then. :) Thanks!
Well, I didn't wait for my trip to start reading this one, and once I started, I didn't want to put it down. Unfortunately, as I was reading I remembered seeing a movie on this book a while back. It followed the plot closely but left out the flashbacks where we learn who Offred was before she became a Handmaid. I wish I hadn't seen the movie so the plot twists would have been more surprising.
It's a frightening, engaging story about the collision of politics and religious fundamentalism. I was surprised by how timeless it is. When compared with today's losses of freedom, it's quite scary.
However, the last few pages really dragged, and I had a hard time getting used to Atwood's writing style toward the beginning. Her random and liberal use of commas and the way she often constructed sentences backwards, almost Yoda-like, bothered me. For instance, (pg.14) "Stillborn, it was" or "Jealousy, it must have been, eating her up."
But a great read overall. Thanks for sharing.
It's a frightening, engaging story about the collision of politics and religious fundamentalism. I was surprised by how timeless it is. When compared with today's losses of freedom, it's quite scary.
However, the last few pages really dragged, and I had a hard time getting used to Atwood's writing style toward the beginning. Her random and liberal use of commas and the way she often constructed sentences backwards, almost Yoda-like, bothered me. For instance, (pg.14) "Stillborn, it was" or "Jealousy, it must have been, eating her up."
But a great read overall. Thanks for sharing.
On its way to Jengif. Enjoy!
The Handmaid's Tale has arrived safely in Virginia!
I actually finished this Friday night, but left early Saturday morning to go camping and didn’t have a chance to write a journal entry. Forgive me if I prattle, I’m pretty exhausted!
The Handmaid’s Tale is an excellent piece of literature. It was surprisingly easy to read and I’ll not likely forget it anytime within the next century. Offred’s tale was just depressing. Several different parts of her world really upset me. The idea of taking books away from people was scarier than anything that Stephen King has ever dreamed up. I just can’t imagine, sitting in a room, with absolutely nothing to do, and no hope for any sort of future. Awful! How Offred used margarine as hand lotion because even that was illegal made quite an impression on me. Heck, I slather myself with lotion every morning and night.
I didn’t want the book to end and I’m not too happy with how we left Offred, but I do understand why Margaret Atwood ended it that way.
The Handmaid’s Tale is an excellent piece of literature. It was surprisingly easy to read and I’ll not likely forget it anytime within the next century. Offred’s tale was just depressing. Several different parts of her world really upset me. The idea of taking books away from people was scarier than anything that Stephen King has ever dreamed up. I just can’t imagine, sitting in a room, with absolutely nothing to do, and no hope for any sort of future. Awful! How Offred used margarine as hand lotion because even that was illegal made quite an impression on me. Heck, I slather myself with lotion every morning and night.
I didn’t want the book to end and I’m not too happy with how we left Offred, but I do understand why Margaret Atwood ended it that way.
I'm going to mail this out to Loeweneckerchen in Germany next week. She's in the process of moving so we're waiting until September 1st so the book will arrive at the right address.
Journal Entry 22 by Jengif at Fellow BookCrosser in By mail / post / courier, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Released 19 yrs ago (8/31/2004 UTC) at Fellow BookCrosser in By mail / post / courier, By Mail/Post/Courier -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
Mailed to Loeweneckerchen in Germany. Unfortunately, I had to send it by surface mail so it will take between 4 & 6 weeks.
Mailed to Loeweneckerchen in Germany. Unfortunately, I had to send it by surface mail so it will take between 4 & 6 weeks.
Journal Entry 23 by Loeweneckerchen from Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Saturday, October 9, 2004
Has arrived safely here in Esslingen! Thank you!
