The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Let's go back in time.

I read The Handmaid's Tale in 2000, as a sophomore at SCSU in a Women's Literature course.  I absolutely loved it, so much so I used it when I student taught Honors level seniors in 2002.  I also used clips from the 1990 movie version.  Yes, The Handmaid's Tale is THAT OLD.  The award-winning series is not the first version.  However, the new series did introduce a younger generation to the story, which, unfortunately, is just as timely, if not more so, today.

So, I have to be honest and say I've never watched the TV show.  I loved the book and movie; why ruin it?  But it seems everyone loves it!  Perhaps because of the success of the show, Atwood published a sequel, The Testaments.  Same reason I didn't want to read it!  I didn't want to spoil things.

Mrs. Robles kept asking for this book, but it was always checked out when she did.  Because it was evident we really needed a second copy due to popularity, I ordered one off Amazon and let her check it out first.  She really liked it and said I should read it.  So I did.

And I really should've before!

Fifteen years after the events of the first novel, three women's testimonies are woven together to present life in the regime and Canada.  One story is from a girl who was taken from her biological mother and given to a powerful Commander and Wife.  She is coming of age to marry.  The next is from a girl who was smuggled to safety in Canada and has been raised to hate the regime and all it stands for.  Third is an Aunt, the older women who have some semblance of power in training girls and Handmaid's.

I don't want to spoil too much.  I will say it was pretty obvious to me early on who was really who though.  You must read the first novel to understand this one, not just watch to show or movie. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS