Book Club

[smoky22]

---

@Alison Wonderlandwrote:

---

@teganslawwrote:

I wasn't impressed with it, thought it was overrated. Somehow I just couldn't get into the book or involved with the characters. Not sure why, maybe it was the style of writing. Not a favorite of mine, maybe I'm in the minority feeling that way.

---

Margaret Atwood writes books with amazing concepts, but I've never come across a likeable character in any of the books I've read. Her characters often seem entirely selfish or cold and clinical. That makes it hard for me to feel invested.

I think The Handmaid's Tale is absolutely worth reading for the ideas, just like 1984 and Brave New World. They're all important books. I've read all three, some for the second time just in the last year. My understanding of the books changed with age (they were required reading in high school and I didn't really get the full impact then), but I still didn't really like a single character in any of the books. The one I related to most was Winston in 1984, but even he felt generally cold and unlikeable.

---

I agree with a lot of what you said, and that The Handmaid's Tale is an important book, like the other dystopian books mentioned, but I disagree that all the characters are cold and clinical.  They are in a dystopian situation so they will not be warm and fuzzy.  I found Offred a sympathetic character (How could you not?).  I also liked several of the characters in her Oryx and Crake series. The Handmaid's Tale is a very frightening book.  

[Alison Wonderland]

---

@smoky22wrote:

---

@Alison Wonderlandwrote:

---

@teganslawwrote:

I wasn't impressed with it, thought it was overrated. Somehow I just couldn't get into the book or involved with the characters. Not sure why, maybe it was the style of writing. Not a favorite of mine, maybe I'm in the minority feeling that way.

---

Margaret Atwood writes books with amazing concepts, but I've never come across a likeable character in any of the books I've read. Her characters often seem entirely selfish or cold and clinical. That makes it hard for me to feel invested.

I think The Handmaid's Tale is absolutely worth reading for the ideas, just like 1984 and Brave New World. They're all important books. I've read all three, some for the second time just in the last year. My understanding of the books changed with age (they were required reading in high school and I didn't really get the full impact then), but I still didn't really like a single character in any of the books. The one I related to most was Winston in 1984, but even he felt generally cold and unlikeable.

---

I agree with a lot of what you said, and that The Handmaid's Tale is an important book, like the other dystopian books mentioned, but I disagree that all the characters are cold and clinical.  They are in a dystopian situation so they will not be warm and fuzzy.  I found Offred a sympathetic character (How could you not?).  I also liked several of the characters in her Oryx and Crake series. The Handmaid's Tale is a very frightening book.  

---

I was sympathetic to Offred's situation, but I still didn't like her. I don't expect anyone to be warm and fuzzy in that situation, but all her choices were selfish. Yes, that's largely due to her terrible circumstances and the fact that she was just trying to survive - I understand that, but that still doesn't make me like her.

The Edible Woman is a lesser known book, but that one is also filled with awful people making bad choices.

I love Atwood as a person and creator, enough that I've gone to see her speak when she came to town for a book festival. But I don't like her writing style and find many of her characters off-putting.

[insomniac2]

I always loved Margaret Atwood until that book came out: I hated it.

[Sooner]

---

@Alison Wonderlandwrote:

---

@teganslawwrote:

I wasn't impressed with it, thought it was overrated. Somehow I just couldn't get into the book or involved with the characters. Not sure why, maybe it was the style of writing. Not a favorite of mine, maybe I'm in the minority feeling that way.

---

Margaret Atwood writes books with amazing concepts, but I've never come across a likeable character in any of the books I've read. Her characters often seem entirely selfish or cold and clinical. That makes it hard for me to feel invested.

I think The Handmaid's Tale is absolutely worth reading for the ideas, just like 1984 and Brave New World. They're all important books. I've read all three, some for the second time just in the last year. My understanding of the books changed with age (they were required reading in high school and I didn't really get the full impact then), but I still didn't really like a single character in any of the books. The one I related to most was Winston in 1984, but even he felt generally cold and unlikeable.

---

I agree with this.  I found the book depressing and slightly disturbing--a downer.   I have no interest in seeing the movie.  

[CANDLEQUEEN]

Thanks everyone. I work with a lady who is watching it on Netflix, and she said you just have to see this. I do not have Netflix, so I thought I would possibly read the book, so thanks for all of the opinions!

[Alison Wonderland]

---

@CANDLEQUEENwrote:

Thanks everyone. I work with a lady who is watching it on Netflix, and she said you just have to see this. I do not have Netflix, so I thought I would possibly read the book, so thanks for all of the opinions!

---

It's on Hulu, not Netflix (for anyone who does want to watch it! I don't want anyone to mistakenly subscibe to the wrong service!)

The TV series is excellent. It enhanced the story and the characters and gave them more depth. The book had an intentionally ambigous ending. You're open to interpret it any way you want - with hope or despair. Readers never find out what happens to Ofred. The intent was that it was a "found diary" kind of thing. It works that way, but I'm excited that the TV series isn't ending there and we get to continue the story.

Even if I don't like the characters or Atwood's writing style, it's a brilliant story and one that's so important. People have said it tells the future, but it's based on things that have already happened in the past. It's a warning that these things can all happen again unless we make sure they do not. 

[CANDLEQUEEN]

@Alison Wonderland Thanks for the catch!

[Lilysmom]

@CANDLEQUEEN, many years ago, I read her as an author.  I was still in school, not university so it was a long time ago.  I didn’t like her books.  I thought she was too depressing.

I watched this series on TV.  I thought it was extremely well done.  She collaborated closely on the production.  Having watched that, I looked for Alias Grace and watched that too.  I thought that was very well done also.  I don’t know if I would go looking for a book by her but I would definitely watch another series.

I watched these alone.  I don’t think DH would go for it.  Interesting that all of us have reactions to her work, either positive or negative.  Thought provoking certainly.  LM

[smoky22]

---

@Lilysmomwrote:

I watched this series on TV.  I thought it was extremely well done.  She collaborated closely on the production.  Having watched that, I looked for Alias Grace and watched that too.  I thought that was very well done also.  I don’t know if I would go looking for a book by her but I would definitely watch another series. 

@LilysmomI loved the book Alias Grace.  I'll have to look for the  version you mentioned, although I don't get Hulu or Netflix.  Where did you find it?

[teganslaw]

I never read any other books by Margaret Atwood, so I can't compare her novels. Some valid points were made about the characters; they weren't likeable, but under the circumstances, I guess that would be expected. I don't have Hulu, so have never seen the series, but I know it's been highly praised and won awards.