It was very well written, with imagery so vivid that it was at times disturbing. However, the ending ruined the entire book for me. I had never read anything by Atwood before, and I never will again. What a letdown!

This book was written very well. I had the creeps while I was reading it. It reminded me of the movie "Children of Men" and the book "The Giver". The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking of a certain female vice presidential candidate. I am afraid that she would love the form of government that is described. This is a short read. Give it a whirl.

Cambridge, England, June 25, 2195.

Professor James Darcy Pieixoto discusses the findings of a manuscript titled "The Handmaid's Tale" which in its pristine state consisted of a metal footlocker, US Army issue, circa perhaps 1955--an account of the Gilead regime, city of Bangor, somewhere in Maine.

The author's identity can't be authenticated, but her tale is compelling.

"I'm sorry there is so much pain in this story. I'm sorry it's in fragments, like a body caught in crossfire or pulled apart by force. But there is nothing I can do to change it."

The President of the US and the Congress are all assassinated. The US Constitution is revoked. A matriarchal society ensues, where polygamy is justified for the sake of fertility.

The oligarchy in control, most of which is sterile from radiation can acquire "handmaids" for purpose of procreating. The wives rule the house and submit and attend a fornication ritual so that their husbands can reproduce.

The account is by Offred, a handmaid.

She may leave the home of her lord and his wife once a day to walk to the food market. She must lie on her back once a month and pray her commander gets her pregnant, because in a republic of declining births, Offred and the other handmaids are valued only for their ovaries.

Offred recounts the years before , when she lived and made love to her husband, Luke. When she played and protected her daughter that was given away to a powerful commander. When she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge.

"The Fall was a fall from innocence and knowledge," she tells.

Margaret Atwood has created a masterpiece that brilliantly interconnects politics and sex--just like Orwell challenged us in 1984, so will our minds be challenged--and forewarned-- again in Atwood's "Handmaid."

Considered a modern Classic, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood had been on my must read list for some time now. I checked it out once before from the library and never got past the first couple of pages before I had to return it. I probably should have left it at that, because I'd rather be wishing I read it, then feeling the keen sense of disappointment like I do now.

The story is narrated by Offred- not her real name; which I'll get to later- in the first person. Technically I don't mind first person. There are quite a number of books I've truly enjoyed from that POV. However, for this book, it didn't work for me. Even though it was written from the most intimate of narratives, I still felt like I was watching from afar. None of Offred's true feelings came through to me, which frustrated me completely, because this story demands that we connect with the character.

Here's the lowdown;

The story is set in the not too distant future where a totalitarian state is in control and the women are treated shamefully- right down to forcing the women to wear oppressive clothing.

Something has occurred- which is never quite clear to me- where the nation's birth rate is nil and many women are unable to have children. (The author hints at a nuclear war but she also hints at the low birth rate trend.) Of course, the men in control blame it on the women and not their own sterile likelihood and have set up a system to alleviate the problem.

Enter The Handmaids. They are women who have been ripped from their families- families from 2nd marriages after divorces and "living together" unions- neither of which are valid in the new States' laws.

These women have given birth to children in the past and are therefore considered an effective tool to alleviate the world "problem". They are reprogrammed and subjugated into becoming the "handmaid" for leaders who are unable to begat children on their wives- much like what happened in Biblical Old Testament times when women were barren.

The new names for The Handmaid's are given to them at the time of their programming and they are a connected to the Commanders they will eventually be given too- names such as Of-glen, Of-warren, and for this narrative, Of-fred.

The premise of the book fell apart for me because it was a little too obvious and preachy, and, to make things worse, I couldn't follow Atwood's style of writing. It also seemed scattered and disjointed- which I believe is why I couldn't connect with Offred.

As scary dystopian fiction, this book's as good as any- it's a frightening world Atwood conjures up. However, I'm giving this one 2 out of 5 because it fell flat and failed to hold my interest- I ended up skimming two chapters towards the end!

I received the product within 3 business days and the product was in excellent condition.