The Handmaid's Tale

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Trigger warnings

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Heroine archetypes

Protagonist archetypes

Tropes

Themes

Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (The New York Times) • The sixth and final season of the award-winning Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss is now streaming Look for The Testaments, the bestselling, award-winning sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid’s Tale is a modern classic. Includes an introduction by Margaret Atwood

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The Handmaid's Tale: content & age rating

Intended for adult readers (18+).

This literary dystopian novel depicts a totalitarian theocracy where fertile women are enslaved for reproductive purposes. Contains scenes of sexual violence, forced impregnation, psychological trauma, political violence, and disturbing themes of systematic oppression and control of women's bodies.