Book Club: The Testaments

“I’ve not watched or read THT but the premise was enough to make me welp at the parallels of life today, so a sequel with promise of maybe some resolve….that too much to ask? Some hope maybe? Jumping in, I found the switching narrative took some time to get used to, which made it feel like a longer read than it was, but engrossing nonetheless.

Having no real detailed understanding of the backstory, I think some developments were less shocking or surprising to me, so would recommend brushing up before you pick up this!”

Would I recommend to a friend – Yes
Would I read again – No
Rating – 3.5/5

“Confession: I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale. But I did watch the series, so whilst I don’t have the same in-depth experience of Atwood’s highly praised novel, I had enough context to go on and I was excited to read the sequel before it no doubt becomes another binge-worthy watch.

It was always going to be a daunting task to follow Handmaid’s Tale given its success but for those with high expectations, The Testaments will not disappoint.

Whilst the multiple narrative is a little confusing at first, you soon get used to each character’s voice. I loved getting three different perspectives of Gilead, particularly the inner workings of Aunt Lydia – the fearsome woman in charge of the handmaids – and her real, unfiltered thoughts on her complex past and the toxic dystopia she both dutifully obeys and lives to resent.

Set more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood answers some of the mysteries surrounding Gilead that have kept readers hanging on for decades and depending on how you like your fiction, you might have preferred a cliff-hanger or two…

An engrossing read and a worthy sequel – praise be!”

Would I recommend to a friend – Yes
Would I read again – No
Rating – 4/5

“I became a huge Handmaids Tale fan after being sucked into the tv series around 4 months ago and binge watched the entire thing over about 2 weeks. I found the whole concept both harrowing and so very interesting (and edge-of-your-seat-gripping!) Having not read the original book, I still had a good understanding of it through watching the series (although I can hear you all shouting “YOU SHOULD STILL READ THE FIRST BOOK”, which I will one day) therefore reading “The Testaments” still made complete sense to me and I was able to follow this no problem. I thoroughly enjoyed this read! I loved having three different perspectives of the same thing, all organically tying up along the way. The way in which Margaret is able to express three very different characters made you almost forget she was writing them all. Although somewhat predictable, and you can definitely sense where the storyline is heading by about midway through, I also really enjoyed the ending. It was one of those books I could have easily read in one sitting if i’d had the time, you just want to keep turning the page to find out more!”

Would I recommend to a friend – yes! (if they’ve watched the series or read the first book)
Would I read again – Yes
Rating – 4.5/5

“Blessed be the fruit and may the force be with you! I quickly became obsessed with The Handmaid’s Tale on TV so I was super excited to sink my teeth into The Testaments. Although I have not read it’s predecessor I completely understand why it is regarded so highly and why it has won so many awards after reading The Testaments. Margaret Atwood is quite simply one of the most brilliant writers of our time, the way she distinguishes each of the three character’s stories in the book is magnificent, and the way she has created a dystopia which has so many parallels to our own world is heartbreaking. Books like this are more important than ever, go and read it now!”

4.5/5
Would recommend to everyone!
Will probably be re-reading, I’m sure I’ve missed lots!