The Handmaid's Tale

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Claire Danes

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Fiction, 2013

Margaret Atwood's popular dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale explores a broad range of issues relating to power, gender, and religious politics. Multiple Golden Globe award-winner Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet, The Hours) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, one of the most powerful and widely read novels of our time.

After a staged terrorist attack kills the President and most of Congress, the government is deposed and taken over by the oppressive and all-controlling Republic of Gilead. Offred, now a Handmaid serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife, can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name. Despite the danger, Offred learns to navigate the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life in breaking the rules in hopes of ending this oppression.

Cover Art by Fred Marcellino. Used with permission of Pippin Properties, Inc.

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©1985 Margaret Atwood (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Claire Danes sparkles in this performance…Danes’s Offred is complex, and her flashes of intense strength highlight her vulnerability. This is a consuming listen, thanks to Danes’s emotional subtleties.” (AudioFile)

Reader Makes it Boring

While many who review this audible book say it is boring, they mistakenly accuse the story itself. I find fault with the reader who speaks in a monotone much of the time, drops her volume and pitch at the end of every sentence and pauses as if every comma and period are sacred. Find a better reader and this book will be pleasurable and interesting to listen to. The diary nature can become tiresome but again, that could be due to the reader’s lack of vocal variety and inflection.

Prescient

amazing story, precise, economical writing that allows the reader space to consider implications of authoritarianism.

Strong and Wrenching

Where does The Handmaid's Tale rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Loved this story. The protagonist is so filled with memories and pain... as are all the women she's surrounded by. Beautifully narrated by Claire Danes, in an almost monotone, which is so fitting for the story. In that time and that place monotone was the only way to be.

4 Stars

What did you love best about The Handmaid's Tale?

Claire Danes brings the characters to life. I have read the book, but found it a bit tedious as the plot is not straightforward. I enjoyed it more and understood it better as an audible book. It is a strange and quirky plot almost misogynist, but somehow believable fiction.

If you’ve listened to books by Margaret Atwood before, how does this one compare?

Not applicable

Which scene was your favorite?

Any of the Moira scenes, especially her escape from the "Aunts"

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Don't wast your money, listen to the Claire Danes version on Audible"

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this for people who like intelligent fiction.

Dystopian Novel for Adults

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would recommend the book to my friends, because it's a very interesting read. It is a little confusing in the beginning, but once the end comes to, the realization of what the book is supposed to represent is amazing. It's a different kind of dystopian book

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Handmaid's Tale?

The way that everything comes to be, the reason for society being the way that it was in the book was the most interesting part.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene is when she's taken away from the house, because it shows that even though society is different, somethings never change, such as chivalry.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did not have an extreme reaction, but I did like it. It intrigued me, more than made me feel any certain way. I wanted to know why things were the way they were, and it did make me want to know what had happened to the main character.

Wow!

Clare Danes does a fantastic job! This story is scary, because you can see it really coming true. I couldn't put it down.

Terrifying Modern

Would you consider the audio edition of The Handmaid's Tale to be better than the print version?

Yes, as this book is essentially a first person account of "history" Claire Dane's voice gives it life and really rounds out the experience.

What did you like best about this story?

Atwood builds a very robust decline for her society, and tells the story of the transition which is rarely heard in Distopian fiction.

What does Claire Danes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Danes' pacing is brilliant - her speed and inflection fill the first person narrative with body making it a rich experience.

Book is Great / Narrator is not

I read this book years and years ago when it first came out. It's an easy read and a page turner. Not very long but has an excellent plot, especially if you are a political person. I purchased the audible version so I could listen to the story again. I'm following the series on Hulu but I also like to read the books. The narrator is very dry and monotone. I'm not certain if she is trying to set the milieu but frankly I don't see this as the case as there are no inflections in her voice when there should be, I think.

Anyhow, I could only get thru a couple chapters before I just can't listen any more. I'm returning this audio book and will purchase the Kindle version and read (in one day probably) during camping.

As in the headline - Great book story line but narrator needs a lot more practice or something.

Bone Chilling!

What made the experience of listening to The Handmaid's Tale the most enjoyable?

There was a lot more substance to the book than there was to the movie. I am a big fan of the movie, which I've seen at least three times (all on video). Atwood employed subtle literary devices reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor. It is a cautionary tale that stands the test of time. While the movie did not spell it out, the book portrays an America that has fallen into the hands of the Religious Right during a time of climate change and falling birth rates. The dystopia created by these forces is not beyond the possibility of realization. The narrator was the celebrated Clare Danes. Who could ask for more. I highly recommend this book, even if you've already read it, and even if you've seen the movie. In fact, if you've seen the movie, but not read the book, then you simply MUST download this audiobook.

What other book might you compare The Handmaid's Tale to and why?

Any dystopian novel of a bleak future. Take your pick.

Have you listened to any of Claire Danes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I've not had the pleasure. She did a wonderful job of capturing the main characters personality: intelligent, resilient and determined to survive.

If you could rename The Handmaid's Tale, what would you call it?

Every Woman is a Vessel

Any additional comments?

No.

all too real.

Love it. very emotional and real. found myself very attached to Offred. great book. read!