The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition

By: Margaret Atwood, Valerie Martin - essay

Narrated by: Claire Danes, full cast, Margaret Atwood, Tim Gerard Reynolds

"Are there any questions?" The final line in Margaret Atwood's modern classic, The Handmaid's Tale, has teased and perplexed fans since the book's original release more than 30 years ago. Now, in this Audible Original production, listeners get some of the answers they've waited so long to hear.

Featuring an all-new interview with Professor Piexoto, written by Atwood and performed by a full cast, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition is a must-listen for both fans and newcomers alike. Emmy Award winner Claire Danes (Homeland, Temple Grandin) gives a stirring performance of this classic in speculative fiction, where the message (and the warning) is now more timely than ever. In addition to rich sound design that honors the audio origins of Atwood's classic, the special edition also includes a brand-new afterword from the author and an essay written by author Valerie Martin (Mary Reilly, Property).

After a violent coup in the United States overthrows the Constitution and ushers in a new government regime, the Republic of Gilead imposes subservient roles on all women. Offred, now a Handmaid tasked with the singular role of procreation in the childless 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 everything, even her own name. Despite the danger, Offred learns to navigate the intimate secrets of those who control her every move, risking her life for mere glimpses of her former freedom, and records her story for future listeners.

Whether you're a fan of the original novel or someone who has recently discovered it, The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition will shock, impress, and satisfy all those who listen.

The Handmaid's Tale: Special Edition features performances by Claire Danes, Margaret Atwood, Emily Bauer, Allyson Johnson, Gabra Zackman, Suzanne Toren, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Jennifer Van Dyck, Ray Porter, Emily Cox, Lauren Fortgang, Dan Reiss, Prentice Onayemi, Therese Plummer, and Mark Boyett.

©1985 O.W. Toad, Ltd. First American Edition 1986. Published by special arrangement with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Thanks to Audible, you can now pick up a new Special Edition of The Handmaid's Tale to get caught up to speed on the story of Offred, brought to life in this audiobook version by none other than Claire Danes. (Suddenly our heads are spinning with crossover potential.) Aside from the impressive voice acting alone, this audio update also contains new scenes that actually extend the story beyond the original last line of the novel." (Nerdist)

"This highly pertinent, ingeniously conceived production deepens the original work and even surpasses it." (The Washington Post)

"Danes has a calm, still voice that perfectly suits the protagonist.... So what is 'special' and new about this edition? Most of it has to do with material at the end of the book. Previous readers of the book will know that there is an afterword set centuries after the events told in the rest of the novel; it takes the form of an academic lecture that describes finding Offred's story. She never wrote it down; rather, she recorded it over a bunch of music cassette tapes. This edition actually begins each section of the novel with the sound of a 'record' button being pressed and a snatch of music referred to in the epilogue. In a sense, this makes listening to the audiobook a more authentic experience than reading it.... While the Hulu show has its points, what it lacks is the sheer poetry of Atwood's writing, which is profoundly and gorgeously highlighted by the experience of listening to the novel. Absolutely recommended." (Locus magazine)

"The actor Claire Danes voices the narrator, Offred (the book’s second section, given over to the perspectives of other handmaids, is read by a full cast), with an appropriately theatrical gravitas, her voice so dramatic at points that it trembles. She has called the book 'so poetic I think the words are really served by being spoken out loud.'” (The New York Times Book Review)

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT

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

Claire Danes' Narration

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

LISTEN: I thought this was going to be the entire novel narrated by the full cast. Claire Danes and Tim Gerard Reynolds?! YES PLEASE.

BUT NO.

This is simply Claire Danes narrating the entire novel (wonderful job though) so if you already have a copy of the handmaiden's tale narrated by her DONT GET THIS ONE BECAUSE THE OTHER NARRATORS JUST READ THE EXTRAS TACKED ON AT THE END.

An enjoyable dystopian with a lot of truth

With the release of the series on Hulu that was based on this book, I decided to give the book a listen before watching any of the episodes. I told my wife to start it without me in case I didn't like the book or couldn't get through it.

I did have a hard time in the beginning of The Handmaid's Tale. Atwood's writing style is the epitome of the books teenagers are "forced" to read in high school that makes them feel like they don't enjoy reading. It was choppy and incredibly descriptive. For every description of something that Offred saw there were up to 5 lines about it in the book.

Honestly, that is the reason that I gave this a 4 out of 5. The story is awesome, and being written as long ago as I'm alive -- a lot of the main pillars of it are easily seen as coming true sooner rather than later. I believe that Atwood wrote this as an enigmatic "future" tale, not putting a date on it to age it. And it was written well enough that Hulu decided that they wanted to make a series out of it.

Offred was one of those characters that you both feel bad for and not. I think she was written this way so that you both feel pity for her and a little bit apathetic. By far I would not wish what Offred had to go through on anyone but at the same time, the way her character was written made it more or less blasé.

The dystopian future that Atwood created was easily what kept me reading this. It was interesting and deep. I would read more books about the lead-up and the start of the entire fall from grace. I absolutely loved her descriptions and the way that she left other things up to the reader's imagination.

If you're curious if you should pick this book up -- it really depends on how much you enjoy the story (or the writing). Some people enjoy long and over-explained diatribes (millions of Stephen King fans for example). But, don't say I didn't warn you.

The Novel of Our Time

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

The story itself made the experience of listening to The Handmaid's Tale most enjoyable. It seems plausible and prescient. I can see how Christian fundamentalist can overthrow the government and set up an Old Testament style theocracy in which women are subjugated and valued only for their ability to birth children. Atwood looked to history and current trends to follow them to their logical, although frightening, conclusion.

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

I compared The Handmaid's Tale to George Orwell's 1984 and to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in that all three described a dystopian world in which people are always watched and information is controlled, omitted, and altered to benefit the elite of a totalitarian regime.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Claire Danes did a phenomenal job at narrating this book. She brings a actress' craft and skill with voices and characters, creating a seamless performance. The other actors at the Gilead symposium two hundred years into the future fleshed out the novel in a scene that enlightened and humored me as it poked fun at academics.

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

Of course, Offred was the most memorable character in The Handmaid's Tale. Her narrative reminded me of slave narratives and the Diary of Ann Frank. She told a compelling story of struggling to survive in a world hostile towards women, towards freedom. I saw this world from her eyes and at once was entranced and felt revulsion. It is all the more sad when I can see how this can happen here in America.

Any additional comments?

The Special Edition of The Handmaid's Tale is an exceptional production. Given that the narrator Offred recorded her account on thirty cassette tapes, the story works better heard rather than read as a book or seen on TV. Even the snippets of music at the beginning of each cassette were a nice touch, bringing her story to life as it was recorded.This is one of the greatest novels I have listened to this year, but also one of the most frightening because I can see how this can happen here.

A true dystopian classic!

In a world where women's rights have been completely obliterated, Offred's tale serves as a stark warning about the perils of acquiescing to unwarranted governmental control.

The Highway to Hell is paved with Theocrats

It took a few years, but we finally got around to watching the three seasons of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. That, of course, prompted the reading of the book. And, though written in 1984 (how's that for irony) it is a dark and dystopian cautionary tale when religious fundamentalists are allowed to govern as timely now as when it was written.

Set in the near future the novel documents the take over of America by an oppressive totalitarian system crafted by Christian fundamentalists who were inspired by the 16th Century patriarchy of the American Puritan blended with the overarching self righteous evangelical movements of religious fundamentalism more in line with the fascism of the Taliban than with the Old Testament that dominates the culture and lifestyle of the Sons of Jacob that rules The Republic of Gilead, the nation that rose from the ashes of a violent and bloody coup of what was the United States.

While Margaret Atwood's novel broadly influences the television series, there are minor differences to make the show more realistic in a 21st century environment. In many ways, in an effort to make the serries more inclusive, it white washes the underlying white supremacy of the original story where dark skinned people, children or not, don't really have a place in the balm of Gilead, except perhaps, as labor in the colonies which, in an of itself, offers no long term prospects.

While the book is timely, it more than anything demonstrates that periods of blight, despoliation and scarcity are ripe for instilling the rampant fear that makes totalitarianism not only possible, but likely.

As well as her many prizes, Margaret Atwood just won her second Booker Award, which she was co-awarded with Bernardine Evaristo, for The Testaments, the sequel to Handmaid's Tale. I will be getting to that in the future and be curious to see how well it aligns with seasons two and three.

Both the book and the show are excellent and well worth the time investment.

wow

This story is amazing... and terrifying. Made even scarier by current events which make it seem like we're on our way to our own HMT... Danes spectacular reading made the story even better. I'm watching the show now, and it's throwing me off seeing the actress playing her, when I listened to the story I pictured Claire Danes in the role. Everyone should read this.

Buyer Beware.....

This is a deeply disturbing read because of it's implicit plausibility - published in the 1985(!!!), the story doesn't feel very far-fetched for the atmosphere of today's culture. Having read the book, then watched the Hulu series, the series is so much more hopeful!

Special Edition

I'm glad I got the special edition, the essay and interview at the end were great

Fantastic!

This is a truly awesome piece of writing. “It is at the same time the future and the past.” Reading this “Tale” makes you wonder how you would fared in a similar situation and ultimately makes you come to terms with just how much work our societal structure requires from us to maintain its democratic characteristics.

so good, makes ya think

supression is a bad habit and everyone is valuable in the day to day life