The Handmaid's Tale Audiobook By Margaret Atwood cover art

The Handmaid's Tale

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The Handmaid's Tale

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, Elisabeth Moss
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Brought to you by Penguin.

Shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year at the British Book Awards 2020.

Winner of Best Audiobook (Fiction) at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020.

Read by Elisabeth Moss, star of the hit Channel 4 TV series.


Go back to where it all began with the dystopian novel behind the award-winning TV series.

"I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light."

Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs.

Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction.

'As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it' Guardian

'A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist', Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other.

'A contemporary classic… the book serves as a chilling reminder of what women have experienced' Independent

©2011 O W Toad Ltd (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Accolades & Awards

Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1986
Classics Literary Fiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize Dystopian Science Fiction Genre Fiction World Literature

Critic reviews

A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist (Bernadine Evaristo, author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER)
Compulsively readable
Out of a narrative shadowed by terror, gleam sharp perceptions, brilliant intense images and sardonic wit
The Handmaid's Tale is both a superlative exercise in science fiction and a profoundly felt moral story (Angela Carter)
Moving, vivid and terrifying. I only hope it's not prophetic
The images of brilliant emptiness are one of the most striking aspects of this novel about totalitarian blindness...the effect is chilling
Powerful...admirable (Robert Irwin)
It's hard to believe it is 25 years since it was first published, but its freshness, its anger and its disciplined, taut prose have grown more admirable in the intervening years... Atwood's novel was an ingenious enterprise that showed, with out hysteria, the real dangers to women of closing their eyes to patriarchal oppression
Turned 25 this year and...worth re-reading. As you grow, such books grow with you
Fiercely political and bleak, yet witting and wise...this novel seems ever more vital in the present day

Featured Article: The Handmaid's Tale—Book vs. Show


The Handmaid's Tale by award-winning Canadian author Margaret Atwood was first published in 1985, and has been haunting readers and listeners ever since. This chilling work of fiction depicts a future totalitarian state in which women are completely subjugated, while offering incisive commentary on patriarchy, reproductive justice, misogyny, religious fanaticism, and fascism. The Handmaid's Tale was adapted for television in 2017, and the Hulu series has sparked a renewed interest in the now classic dystopian novel.

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Started very good, but I lost my focus on the last quarter and this gradually lowered my interest in following with the next book. However, I will definitely watch the show after this.

E. Moss is such a great actress and I have loads of respect for her. I really enjoyed listening to her and it was “alright” as the book is in mostly diary form. I think it would have been a better experience if there were a bit more distinct character sounds. To me, that is what I like in audiobooks, to experience the sounds of character.

Overall good story, well-read, and I have finished relatively quickly. Would recommend if the book description makes you excited

An Interesting Dystopia

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absolutely loved it, the narration was great, and the story fantastic
would definitely recommend <3

Really good, especially if you like the show

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How do you even begin to review a piece like this, it starts slow, shy, like meeting an acquaintance— she knows this whole thing is ridiculous, yet she feels guilty for her actions?
The whole thing is built on polygamy! Amazing.
One would think everything here is fiction, but is it? The men act exactly as they do today, some women more or less suffer in the same way — although not in such an “organized “ fashion… but there it is.
The narrator makes a great addition to the story, at first i thought her voice was void of life, then i understood why. She isn’t supposed to be cheerful. Excellent, excellent writing.

Not far from reality

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After having watched the series, I wanted to listen to the book to see how different they were. I was not disappointed, such a compelling novel, I listened every spare moment that I got, longing for long car rides to be able to listen for extended periods of time.

A very well written story

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I could listen to this all day long and, to be quite honest, I have.

Addictive

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