The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Anchor Books (Penguin Random House), paperback with Hulu cover edition, 2017. Original publication, 1986. Adult fiction.


While this book has become a classic, the new Hulu series has sparked readers of a new generation. A reader friend and I agreed that we see the novel with new eyes as we read it as more aged adult women. While it may have just made us angry as youths, it now provides nuances about aging to us as well. I kept finding myself comparing it with Lois Lowry's The Giver, also set in an uncertain future.


The book is set in the future. Handmaids live in the homes of Commanders and their wives. They wear all red with white headgear. Their "jobs" are to have children for the Commander to whom they are assigned and his wife. Offred (of Fred) remembers life before the changes. She remembers her husband and their young daughter whom she will not see again. She dreams of escape and subversion. Totally believable, although alien to readers, the tale is unforgettable.


This edition has an introduction of several pages which was written by the author in February, 2017. These pages are fascinating and provide context to the appeal and longevity of the novel.