The Testaments
Author: Margaret Atwood
Published by: Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 419
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
‘Our time together is about to begin, my reader. Possibly you will view these pages of mine as a fragile treasure box, to be opened with the utmost care. Possibly you will tear them apart, or burn them: tat often happens with words.’
You hold in your hands a dangerous weapon loaded with the secrets of three women from Gilead. They are risking their lives for you. For all of us.
Before you enter their world, you might want to arm yourself with these thoughts:
Knowledge is power
and
History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.
My thoughts
The Testaments begins in Gilead, set around 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale, and perhaps the most important thing to tell you is that this book is a very different novel in form and tone. This is mainly due to the three women at the heart of the story, and the different perspectives they provide.
As a big fan of The handmaid’s Tale, I was extremely excited when I heard of this sequel coming up, and I think it was probably my most anticipated book of 2019.
Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, this is told through the interweaving lives of three women. One, a girl growing up in Canada with a mysterious link to Gilead, one a girl growing up within the walls of Gilead, and Aunt Lydia - who of course was introduced from Offred’s perspective in the first book.
I found Aunt Lydia’s chapters by far the most interesting perspective, and I loved how the story delved more into her past and some of the more dubious choices she made to become so powerful in a world controlled by men. In terms of her story, I really enjoyed looking back at the founding of Gilead and the struggles women faced during the initial chaos, with many coming from powerful professions like lawyers and doctors. The women are treated terribly, and forced to participate in whatever role they are given. Inevitably though, in The Testaments the details aren’t perhaps quite as shocking, and I think this is partly because readers are already aware of the many horrors of Gilead. If anything, I would have liked more of this time period to add some more emotional depth to the future plots.
Having looked forward to reading this sequel so much, and also having prepared myself in case it would be a disappointment, I am delighted to say it really wasn’t! Admittedly, it wasn’t as great as the first one, and the twists in the story were fairly predictable, but overall I feel Margaret Atwood has made this a very enjoyable book, and definitely a sequel that fans should read.
Overall, I am quite satisfied on how the author decided to end this story: even though, as I said, it was nothing extraordinary unpredictable, it felt plausible and told with such skill that reading it was still a huge pleasure. The story ends with a 22nd Century Symposium looking back at the events of Gilead and using source materials (which are effectively the book we have been reading).
I was completely gripped from the very first page! The resistance part of the novel reads very much as more of an adventure story, which I hadn’t expected. Infact, the whole book was hugely engaging and not as heavy as I’d predicted. Much of this is due to most of the writing coming from the youthful perspectives of two teenage characters. It is Aunt Lydia’s chapters that feel the darkest, and the combination of all three work perfectly to create a hugely entertaining, riveting and eerie read.
If you enjoyed part one, this sequel is certainly worth your time.
Overall reaction:
Published by: Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 419
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
‘Our time together is about to begin, my reader. Possibly you will view these pages of mine as a fragile treasure box, to be opened with the utmost care. Possibly you will tear them apart, or burn them: tat often happens with words.’
You hold in your hands a dangerous weapon loaded with the secrets of three women from Gilead. They are risking their lives for you. For all of us.
Before you enter their world, you might want to arm yourself with these thoughts:
Knowledge is power
and
History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.
My thoughts
The Testaments begins in Gilead, set around 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale, and perhaps the most important thing to tell you is that this book is a very different novel in form and tone. This is mainly due to the three women at the heart of the story, and the different perspectives they provide.
As a big fan of The handmaid’s Tale, I was extremely excited when I heard of this sequel coming up, and I think it was probably my most anticipated book of 2019.
Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, this is told through the interweaving lives of three women. One, a girl growing up in Canada with a mysterious link to Gilead, one a girl growing up within the walls of Gilead, and Aunt Lydia - who of course was introduced from Offred’s perspective in the first book.
I found Aunt Lydia’s chapters by far the most interesting perspective, and I loved how the story delved more into her past and some of the more dubious choices she made to become so powerful in a world controlled by men. In terms of her story, I really enjoyed looking back at the founding of Gilead and the struggles women faced during the initial chaos, with many coming from powerful professions like lawyers and doctors. The women are treated terribly, and forced to participate in whatever role they are given. Inevitably though, in The Testaments the details aren’t perhaps quite as shocking, and I think this is partly because readers are already aware of the many horrors of Gilead. If anything, I would have liked more of this time period to add some more emotional depth to the future plots.
Having looked forward to reading this sequel so much, and also having prepared myself in case it would be a disappointment, I am delighted to say it really wasn’t! Admittedly, it wasn’t as great as the first one, and the twists in the story were fairly predictable, but overall I feel Margaret Atwood has made this a very enjoyable book, and definitely a sequel that fans should read.
Overall, I am quite satisfied on how the author decided to end this story: even though, as I said, it was nothing extraordinary unpredictable, it felt plausible and told with such skill that reading it was still a huge pleasure. The story ends with a 22nd Century Symposium looking back at the events of Gilead and using source materials (which are effectively the book we have been reading).
I was completely gripped from the very first page! The resistance part of the novel reads very much as more of an adventure story, which I hadn’t expected. Infact, the whole book was hugely engaging and not as heavy as I’d predicted. Much of this is due to most of the writing coming from the youthful perspectives of two teenage characters. It is Aunt Lydia’s chapters that feel the darkest, and the combination of all three work perfectly to create a hugely entertaining, riveting and eerie read.
If you enjoyed part one, this sequel is certainly worth your time.
Overall reaction: