The Handmaid's Tale

audrewuh

I mentioned last week that I downloaded the audiobook and was going to listen to it on my drive to see Elle. Audible listed it as 11 hours long, but it was really only 2.5 hours. That was a shock when I was less than halfway home with nothing to do. 

For those of you that read it, what are your thoughts? I'm having a hard time processing the book. 

buddysmom80

audrewuh said:

I mentioned last week that I downloaded the audiobook and was going to listen to it on my drive to see Elle. Audible listed it as 11 hours long, but it was really only 2.5 hours. That was a shock when I was less than halfway home with nothing to do. 

For those of you that read it, what are your thoughts? I'm having a hard time processing the book. 

I LOVE the book. Loved it so much that I have a quote from the book tattooed on me. Probably it resonated with me when I first read it because I was going through a lot of stuff and I just connected with the book. I could probably read it over and over again. Moira is probably my favorite heroine in any book ever.

audrewuh

I wonder if it would make any difference if I read it instead of listened to it. 

What quote do you have tattooed?

labro

It's been awhile since I read it. I don't think it resonated with me as much as it did @buddysmom80 but it definitely left me with a lot to think about after the fact. I really loved the ambiguity of the ending.

Sorry I don't have anything more concrete. It made me alternatively sad and hopeful and just I dunno... it was definitely thought-provoking. I think I might bring it up as a bookclub book for next year even though it's been around awhile. I think it would create some interesting discussions.

@buddysmom80 What quote do you have tattooed? I am curious.

buddysmom80

@audrewuh I think I do better retaining what I read when I'm actually reading the book. I had FI download Divergent on my iPad so I could listen to it while knitting and it just wasn't sinking in. I'm like "wtf happened, is she dreaming, what's going on????"

How far are you into the book? I don't want to give away too much with the quote. I don't think it's a spoiler alert but it might be.

audrewuh

@lmhollister - that's kind of how I'm feeling. Like, yea, it left me with a lot to think about, but I'm almost like, what's the point of thinking about it since it's so grossly exaggerated. I don't think I'm making much sense. 

I do like that it touched on a lot of Christian culture that bothers me. 

@buddysmom80 I was driving in a straight line for 7 hours with nothing to do, so listening to the book was great. I was completely engrossed, and I think I clicked with it, but when it ended, I was more WTF. I actually finished the whole thing. 

At least, I think it was the whole thing. Again, the internet says it was supposed to be 11 hours long and it ended up only being 2.5. I put on my eye patch when I downloaded the book, so there's potential that it wasn't the whole thing, but the wikepedia plot summary hit every single point the book did. 

labro

@audrewuh That does seem odd to me. Maybe you accidentally downloaded an abridged version? I've had that happen to me before. The books on tape are SIGNIFICANTLY shorter.

buddysmom80

Oh okay, I thought you were only 2.5 hours in for an 11 hour book (tbh I was thinking that was a little long!!! The book doesn't have that many pages)

The tattoo I have is the quote "Nolite te bastardes carborundorum"

audrewuh

@lmhollister, everything I saw said unabridged... Oh well, I think I'll eventually pick up an actual book copy of it and give it a read, too. There's so much to deconstruct in the book! @buddysmom80, that's fantastic! It really does make for a great tat.

Blackbird230

I loved The Handmaid's Tale. Books that make me think to no end when they're done amuse me. I was processing it for ages.

audrewuh

@kait, what are some of the things you picked up on? 

Blackbird230

@audrewuh, to tell you the truth, it's been awhile since I read it. I remember just the feeling of how the future could go so backward being the biggest thing.

Swazzle

I read this in high school (junior year, I think, so '01-'02ish?) and I don't remember too much about it but I'm pretty sure I liked it and I did a paper on it. I'm adding it to my 'to read' shelf on Goodreads right now. 

I find it interesting rereading books like that. I recently reread The Great Gatsby and disliked it just as much as I did over 10 years ago. 

loves2shop4shoes

Loved the book.  Read it in a Feminism & Literature class at BU.

Have since reread it several times.  

audrewuh

@loves2shop4shoes what were some of the things y'all talked about in that class regarding the book?

@swazzle I feel the same way about the great gatsby!! I watched the movie with Leo and he was the only redemptive thing about it. I just don't like the story. 

Blackbird230

@audrewuh, I hated Leo in Great Gatsby. He way overdid the "old sport."

audrewuh

Oh, he totally over did it, @kait, but I don't think it was too out of character. 

loves2shop4shoes

audrewuh said:

@loves2shop4shoes what were some of the things y'all talked about in that class regarding the book?

@swazzle I feel the same way about the great gatsby!! I watched the movie with Leo and he was the only redemptive thing about it. I just don't like the story. 

God it was so many years ago.  I think we mainly discussed how the book was a response to Second Wave feminism.  Then we discussed a lot of general things about the misogynistic dystopian society.