Atwood has a brillant ability to captivate and shock. This book will challenged views on traditional religion and make the reader reconsider the importance of freedom of religion. She presentes how sexuality and intelligence can be manipulated in a restrictive society. A reader will be intrigued and puzzled, as the pages turned. For anyone who is interested in the affects of dominant religious influence, this book is a must.

Today I arrived in Cala d'Or on Majorca for my holidays. And in the shelf under the television of our appartment Casa Serena I found this book! A big surprise! I think, I will take it to Germany :-)

This book is a very special book for me, although I am not going to read it (I am too lazy to read in English, only children's books): 8 years since it was registered, the date is my birthday, it travelled a long way (although we cannot see how*), I found it abroad where I didn't expect a book!

AND: I saw your profile, Sparkish, twotimes within about 10 hours! I saw a released book of you in a crossing-zone on Majorca and then I saw you again with this book on your wishlist :-)

The book may travel to Leicester together with a book from Switzerland and another book from Australia.

And cool down: Books don't have to travel immediately! (You wrote something in your profile) The first abbreviation I learned with bookcrossing: MTBR - Mount to be read
Happy bookcrossing and best wishes from Germany!

*Edit october 2014: I've got in touch with clayton62. Now I know: The book was released in the appartement during recovering from their World Cup visit to Germany in 2006. So the book was waiting for me at the same place for 8 years :-)

What a nice surprise to come home to.

Thank you for this special book Za-ida, and also for the two other lovely surprises in the packet. They will be added to MTBR ;-)

All the very best from the UK x

I have just noticed your update about this books travels Za-ida, the mystery is resolved :-)

Now reserved for a book trade.

This was a fabulous book. I found it frightening, frustrating, upsetting and downright infuriating in equal measure. But it was well worth reading and I am very pleased I did. I think it will be one of those book that come back to you without warning - and that's a good thing.

Thank you Za-ida for sending me this book, it is now on its travels again to Leahjet in New Zealand, so despite being out of contact for a long time this special book continuing it's journey :-)

Leahjet - hope you enjoy the book and I hope it doesn't take too long to reach you x

Yay its here (: Thank you so much Sparkish!

I have been looking forward to reading this book for years now. Its on so many 'to-read' lists, including the 1001 book list. So I was excited when I began. Maybe having high expectations for a book is the reason I was so let down. Or.. because it was a really bad read.

I give it a 3 - finished book, but more a chore than pleasure. It was illogical as hell and filled with so many plot holes I couldn't even. The writing felt mucky, and I had to force myself to continue. Hoping that it would get better as time went on. But it didn't...

Sure the whole idea was interesting. A world where Christian ideology ruled and women were treated as sub-human beings or breeding machines. Dystopias are so interesting when they're logical and contain some basis which you can go "Ah yes, that makes sense." But Margaret Atwoods book just didn't. Didn't people fight for the world they knew? I seriously doubt that people (especially women) would lie down and take it.

I understand how it gained popularity as a women's rights, feminism kinda book. Especially with all the abortion stuff going on at the moment in America. Also with women not being allowed to drive and get education in lesser developed countries. But oml, all the things that happen are so far fetched!

How did the religious fanatics get into power? Why are no other countries doing anything about it? Change that big doesn't happen overnight. What happened with Ofglen and her friends? What happened at the end? Why are the majority of men portrayed as evil? Do they only eat animals, eggs and oranges? Why are the Marthas and Aunts or whatever so mean? Everything happened so fast. What did she do with her cigarette? Why didn't the author use the marks to signal a sentence? Why didn't anyone try to rescue them? Too many questions, not enough answers.

Hopefully the next person likes it more than my cynical ass did.

Finally travelling! Sorry I took so long to send it.

I just got an alert that the book "A Handmaidens Tale" is now in New Zealand. I was the original owner and purchased the book in Fairhaven, Massachusetts in the USA, in 2006. I took it on holiday with my family to Spain after attending the World Cup in Germany. It's crazy where it has been and I'm really surprised and happy that the book is still traveling. Eleven years. Wow.

From leahjett and the Tasteletter -- thank you!