The Handmaid's Tale

Big glaring holes in plot? Noooooooooooooo surely not!?

Tis fab, I agree though!

One of my all time favourites.

I can happily ignore any plot holes [laughs]

I love this but it's veeeery scary ?

The other thing I found this time was that reading it for the first time since knowing it's been a school set work, I kept thinking of essay questions to set on it ?

The only thing I'd say against this book is that it ends rather too abrutly for me - the film is even worse. mind you it's been a good few years (say about 9) since I last read it so my brain is somewhat hazy!

? I did it for A level, but I'm damned if I can remember the essay title we had for the coursework on it. Something deadly dull about the non-linear narrative I imagine. It is great. Is it dated now? I don't know. I thought so for a while, but I think you can see that future happening in a few places around the world as well as in bits of the USA.

Watch out Sophie, you start off thinking like that and you end up with a scheme of work to write and year nine waiting for their speaking and listening marks back ?

I know, Moomoo, tis a scary prospect! Give me a dystopian future any day!

PL, I don't really think it has. Or at least only in the same way This Perfect Day, 1984 et al have dated, with their vision of technology not really synching with the way technology has evolved, and now outstripped what they imagined in many ways.

This is my fave thread today. I had to go digging through the stock cupboard at work for a copy of this this morning, because I'm going to be teaching it in a couple of weeks. It's going to be stimulus for an original writing piece on dystopia for my A level group - I haven't read it or taught it for about 8 years and I bloody love it, holes and all.

I love it - holes and everything! I adore Oryx and Crake as well. In fact, I think I have a bit of a thing for dystopia books (John Wyndham being a fave - if a bit unchallenging!) - was trying to find The Trouble with Lichen today - Waterstones had NO Wyndham in it all!!

I did too - we had to choose an extended essay subject and I did 'visions of the future' - 'Handmaid's Tale', 'The Tempest' and 'Brave New World'.

Ira Levin's This Perfect Day is well worth reading if you haven't already.

Ooh thanks. The students have to read further texts anyway so even if I don't get round to it until the summer (v likely) it's another one they can look for.

Ooohhh i read this a few years ago - just for funn not education!!! - youve really made me want to read it again now!

I love dystopian fiction. Wyndham, Huxley, Atwood (Oryx & Crake was brilliant)

Michael Frayn's A Very Private Life is great (and SHORT!) and there's also Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, and Orwell of course, Philip K Dick, A Clockwork Orange, Golding...... such literary riches!

Agree, and with whoever made the same point earlier, Oryx and Crake is a much better book than THT.

You should also read This Perfect Day Rache - best ever example of populist dystopian fiction imo. ?

This thread has reminded me how much I love Margaret Atwood novels. I need to read Oryx and Crake, I know H loves it and has been telling me to read it for ages.

I'm so glad I'm not the only dystopian literature freak!

May I also recommend 'The Stone Gods' by Jeanette Winterson?

? for the recommendations!