Margaret Atwood: Testaments (2019, McClelland & Stewart)
320 pages
English language
Published July 10, 2019 by McClelland & Stewart.
15 years after the sons of Jacob seized power in the USA and became Gilead. The story is told from three female viewpoints; Daisy, Agnes and Lydia. Daisy struggles with coming to the realization of her past and who she really is, Agnes tells her story and life in Gilead, and Lydia contemplates her life and decisions made.
When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.
With The Testaments, the wait is over.
Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.
In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.
"Dear Readers: Everything …
15 years after the sons of Jacob seized power in the USA and became Gilead. The story is told from three female viewpoints; Daisy, Agnes and Lydia. Daisy struggles with coming to the realization of her past and who she really is, Agnes tells her story and life in Gilead, and Lydia contemplates her life and decisions made.
When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.
With The Testaments, the wait is over.
Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.
In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.
"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in." --Margaret Atwood
I listened as an audio book version and I thought the different voices were good and kept me engaged. It knitted together the orginal book and the TV series that I had watched.
I listened as an audio book version and I thought the different voices were good and kept me engaged. It knitted together the orginal book and the TV series that I had watched.
I won't go into too many plot details in the book. I was not caught up in the same hype that many people seem to have been caught up in surrounding "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood. I agree with many reviews that say that there was a clash between people's expectations and the finished product. But I try hard to separate out my expectations and the intent of the author, which I usually respect the most. Atwood is a brilliant writer - she can write in many different genres and styles and still make the landing. So, I would say that I liked "The Testaments," though I think that "The Handmaid's Tale" is a better book mainly due to the way the narrative is hemmed in by the restrictions of the narrator. Part of its appeal is all that we do not know about the regime and its circumstances. But …
I won't go into too many plot details in the book. I was not caught up in the same hype that many people seem to have been caught up in surrounding "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood. I agree with many reviews that say that there was a clash between people's expectations and the finished product. But I try hard to separate out my expectations and the intent of the author, which I usually respect the most. Atwood is a brilliant writer - she can write in many different genres and styles and still make the landing. So, I would say that I liked "The Testaments," though I think that "The Handmaid's Tale" is a better book mainly due to the way the narrative is hemmed in by the restrictions of the narrator. Part of its appeal is all that we do not know about the regime and its circumstances. But I am glad that "The Testaments" exists because I think it worth exploring the rise and maintenance of Gilead - and what could have led to its fall. For some, "The Testaments" may be a lesser work because it punctures the mysteries built up in the first novel. But truth be told, I would rather explore the mysteries of tyranny, violence, and power. I found Aunt Lydia's narrative and Agnes' narratives to be stronger than Daisy's (a girl raised in Canada). But I think that all three were necessary. And I think of of the more brilliant sections of the novel comes with Agnes and Daisy are brought together and you see the clash of two different conceptions of femininity. I will say that I did not see the ending coming entirely - maybe because I have not watched the show at all. The ending feels weaker than I had hoped. But perhaps I could say that we are not as used to having happier endings anymore. Tragedy seems more respectable and serious. Yet, if we look at the world around us, there are moments of triumph as well as tragedy. I think that Atwood has earned the right to give us some hope.
Pokračování Příběhu služebnice se mi četlo snad ještě lépe. Skvělý příběh, který poodkrývá zase něco málo z dystopického totalitního světa Gileádu. Malý spoiler alert: kniha se věnuje i mé nejoblíbenější "záporačce", tetě Lydii.
