Comments on: “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood

By: kate

kate — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:00:23 +0000

I’m going to have to look up The Blue Jay’s Dance now. And yes, there were/are many rumors about how much she wrote Yellow Raft.

I would be very, very interested in what you think about Cloud Atlas. I had a funny experience with it–I didn’t like the first five pages of each section, thinking, “this isn’t for me, I’m bored,” etc. And then, suddenly, about 10 pages in, I couldn’t put the book down and was upset when the section ended without conclusion.

I was mostly jealous that you have the chance to go to her store, rather than assuming you do.

And I don’t know just how sad Shadow Tag is, but it apparently hit my friend’s this-is-insanely-sad button. Now I’m going to have to read it to see HOW sad we’re talking.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:42:09 +0000

I highly recommend having another go at Handmaid’s Tale. Its ecological setting is eerily timely. Cloud Atlas was the book the Biblioracle recommended for my husband, and which I’ve been meaning to read for ages, as a friend of mine loves it, and I loved Black Swan Green. Our library has a wait list of 30+ people for it! (So clearly we’re going to have to buy it.)

I didn’t go shopping at Ms. Erdrich’s store. These came from Half Price Books, so I’m guilty of not having my money go to the author (not an issue in the case of Wodehouse), but I am practicing good ecology by reusing, right? Plague of Doves was on my radar before and has now moved up. I’ve read Love Medicine, Antelope’s Wife (Shadow Tag is sadder than that? What about sadder than Alison McGhee’s Rainlight?) and I read Crown of Columbus as well as A Yellow Raft.. which a friend contends she wrote, but my favorite, thus far, since I’ve got much more to delve into, is The Blue Jay’s Dance, her memoir of early motherhood, which may no longer be in print. In interesting companion to the raucousness of Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:56:23 +0000

This review reminds me a bit of Cloud Atlas, which I just finished. I think I might have to reread it as well.

By: girldetective

girldetective — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:33:49 +0000

Steph, that everyman’s edition seems to be the only one that amazon sells, weird, right? Also, it makes me wonder if they’d ever pick a cover of a man sitting comfortably at home; I bet the men’s covers show them out in the world looking tough and remote.

I recommend reading it again, and hope we’ll have a bunch of people chatting about it on Goodreads.

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:58:36 +0000

I read this when I was 16 years old and had vehemently declared I hated Margaret Atwood. My English teacher at the time suggested I try this one for my independent studies project that year and I liked it MUCH better. I pretty much remember zilch about it, however, so I think it’s time for a re-read. I recently picked up a second-hand Everyman’s copy of it, which seems fortuitous…

By: Amy

Amy — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:57:20 +0000

I had just started re-reading this when you posted, and at first I struggled a little. Not sure why. But then it “clicked” and boom, I’m 2/3 of the way done and will easily finish in the next day or so. Like you said, it’s now hard to put down.