The Handmaid's Tale

The iconic Sunday Times bestseller that inspired the hit TV series

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, Elisabeth Moss

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.

** THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER **

Discover the dystopian novel that started a phenomenon.

Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead. 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.

'A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist' Bernadine Evaristo

‘As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it’ Guardian

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

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

Really good, especially if you like the show

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

Not far from reality

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.

A very well written story

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.

An Interesting Dystopia

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

Addictive

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