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)

Wow! A chilling possible future! Prescient!

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

The artful writing and the beautiful narration draw you into a tale that is frighteningly possible . This is a thought provoking look at the intersection of religion, politics, and women's rights.

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

This story is made far more real when it is read by a woman, especially one as talented as Claire Danes!

Any additional comments?

It is hard to believe this story wasn't written this year! The issues discussed have only become more important in our society since it was written.

Brilliantly written and narrated.

Claire Danes was a wonderful choice to narrate this book.

With the current political and environmental crises I have been reading a lot of dystopian works, both fiction and nonfiction. This is easily among the best I have encountered, as it is chillingly plausible. The author seems to have a very firm grasp of history as well as the practices of places like North Korea and repressive religious societies in modern time.

I will be recommending this to my teenagers as they enter the world.

Immensely moving -- wonderfully performed.

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

How clear and lyrical the story was and how truthfully it was performed. I thought early-on in the story "this is beautifully poetic." It was no surprise to later find out that Atwood indeed is a poet.

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

I don't know of other books to which this compares though it did make me think of "Children of Men" probably more for it's dystopian feminism.

Which character – as performed by Claire Danes – was your favorite?

There wasn't a favorite. She was masterful with all.

Who was the most memorable character of The Handmaid's Tale and why?

Offred of course. She is the character through whom the story is told and through whom Margaret Atwood professes her best poetry.

Any additional comments?

I'm really glad that Atwood wrote this story and I cannot believe it took me this long to listen to it. The book really blew me away. I moved through dread, terror, and hope many times. Listening to It was a stark experience and sometimes evoked really powerful emotions. As a guy, I really appreciated the story and the feminist perspective.

I cannot imagine that this story would have been as emotive and fully developed had it not been read by Claire Danes. She was magnificent! I had heard of her but never really had been exposed to her work. I am glad I was through this book.

Over hyped

A timely read, certainly. Ominous and all that. But I was not as impressed with the story as others have been. It just felt ... a little self-important, and trust me, I am the target audience.

Enjoyed Claire Danes' narration, she has a wonderful, evocative voice.

Wonderful

Claire Danes is amazing and the story was intriguing and disturbing at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it

The Handmaids Tale

I enjoyed this book for the most part, I didn't enjoy the jumping back an forth from one part to another, but over all the book was good! I strongly suggest you listen to the "Historical Notes" at the end because apparently it changes everything, my friend had read the book but didn't real the historical notes, but when I let her listen to it, she said that it's like a whole different book!

Wow

I loved listening to Claire Danes narrate this unnervingly sadistic tale of a society that takes religious and moral values to the extreme. Clearly, morality is in the eye of the beholder and the multitude of players needed to reflect on the irony of their own morals.

Struggled

Had to start this book twice but once I started really listening could'nt stop! Thourly enjoyed this book. Loved the narrator.

the hand maid's tale

Claire Danes is probably the best female narrator of any audible book I have heard! She made listening to The Hand Maids Tale a joy.

Brilliant

the fear of the religious right in the eighties, translates to fear of Sharia Law in 2017. The parallels are uncanny and unsettling. Clare Danes perform is one of the best I've ever heard. Because of the narrative nature of the material, she was able to become offered instead of just reading her story.