Calling all fans of The Handmaid’s Tale (both the book and the Hulu series), this is one sequel that will not disappoint. I’m going to make this book recommendation spoiler-free so that you all can go and read it for yourself. Just for context, before reading The Testaments I had read The Handmaid’s Tale and watched only about half of the first season of the series. The Testaments takes place several years after the events of the current season of The Handmaid’s Tale series (which is ahead of The Handmaid’s Tale novel by the way), so you don’t necessarily have to have any prior knowledge of the lore. However, I think you will get the best experience if you have read the previous book or watched at least the first few episodes of the series.
The Testaments is told from the perspective of three women. One is raised in Gilead as the daughter of a Commander, one is living in Canada observing the horrors of Gilead from the outside, and one is a part of Gilead’s theocratic regime. What I find incredible is how Atwood managed to take these three distinct women with completely different character traits to all portray their own versions of the strong woman character. Make sure to continue reading after the last chapter to the Thirteenth Symposium (similar to the one found at the end of the Handmaid’s Tale). I really love this idea of adding a chapter that takes place years in the future where the characters are having a historical discussion about the events you had just read about. It makes the events in Gilead feel like they were actual events in history.
I don’t want to reveal too much, so go read the book! I highly recommend it. It is one of the best sequels I have read in a long time. If you are a fan of audio books, the audio version of this one is a real treat! Get the one from Audible that has several narrators. One of them is Mae Whitman who was the voice of Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender. I love listening to her voice!
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