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The Handmaid's Tale
- Narrated by: Elisabeth Moss, Bradley Whitford, Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd
- Series: The Handmaid's Tale, Book 1
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Publisher's Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
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.
Go back to where it all began with the dystopian novel behind the award-winning TV series.
I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light.
Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. 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.
Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction
Critic Reviews
"As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it." (Guardian)
"A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist." (Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other)
"This beautifully produced audiobook version of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale will whet appetites for its long-awaited sequel, The Testaments, released in September.... The several narrators match the powerful heft of Atwood’s elegant, economical prose." (The Times)
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What listeners say about The Handmaid's Tale
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- kapow!
- 15-10-2019
read beautifully by Elisabeth
listening to this book was the reason why I could finish it, because of Elisabeth's beautiful narration and it was also chosen by my bookclub... the story is so morbid and is one where there is little hope, I would not have been able to keep reading it. I kept wondering throughout how the author was able to get her feet out of bed each day whilst being immersed in the writing of this book, it's such a depressing story. It is well-written, with minute details of a sad world.
8 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 15-07-2019
Feels like it moves slower than the tv series
I know it's meant to be a story of difficulty, but it's always so detailed and everything described is compared to something else. Too much detail and it becomes grueling by the end.
8 people found this helpful
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- Carly Hopgood
- 19-02-2020
Outstanding performance
I was dubious I would be able to handle the story. But the narration of the story made it human and enticing.
5 people found this helpful
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- Katie
- 17-02-2021
Hard Listen
This is really, really hard book to listen to. The narrator's monotone voice makes the book drag and feel like its never ending. It took me months to finish it. But that's the point - This is a depressing, soul destroying story and the narrator executed that perfectly. I will never listen to this again, although I'm glad I persevered and finished it.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 17-02-2020
A warning if bigots get a hold
The underlying premise, though extreme, does not appear to be beyond reality when one looks at the fanatical fever of some democracies today. However it is a little too slow for me with too much minutiae and too little scope.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-08-2020
A little slow but works the imagination
great narrator , in character, good to follow with the feeling attached enjoy your listen.
1 person found this helpful
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- lorraine cooper
- 12-02-2020
Margaret Atwood is a unique author
Margaret Atwood has taken the world and its current problems and extrapolated them to a situation that could occur in a society where men have all the power, the church (any belief taken to its extreme) takes over and tries to impress the will of "God" or substitute that for any divinity takes control and uses the word of the divinity out of context to make women conform.
That sounds terrible but I couldn't think any way of explaining the story without a 2000 word essay lol.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and I really do think that people male or female should read it because it is not out of the realms of possibility.
I am now about to start the next book.
It is read mainly in a monotonal voice but that is purposeful to make us understand the oppression and treatment of women. Even when the character speaking is day dreaming about how life was it doesn't change because she has been worn down to expect nothing, do her duties without question with no escape to another way of life. Even memories are forbidden.
I do recommend this as an excellent book. It may take a little while to get in to, but you can rewind, or go back and listen again.
Enjoy,
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 30-01-2020
Fantastic
What a brilliant read! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this and only purchased it because I loved the televised series sooo much, but as strange as it sounds, I actually enjoyed the T.V series a lot more and am really looking forward to the release of the next season.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-01-2020
fantastic narration.
loved this. found it riveting. the narration made it so real. Will definitely be reading the sequel.
1 person found this helpful
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- Emma
- 20-06-2019
So slow
A fascinating near future scenario under extreme religious rule. Thoroughly descriptive and slow paced.
I am still looking forward to the sequel and will read it.
1 person found this helpful
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- aussieGeorge68
- 04-06-2019
Recommended before or after season 1 of series.
While clearly there is some overlap and some of the drama is in a somewhat different order to the TV series. I think its a compelling listen before or after season 1 of the TV series.
The primary story line of the book is solely narrated by Elisabeth Moss, with the other narrators only appearing at the end outside of the main story line. I found Elisabeth Moss extraordinary. I must say at the start of the book I was a little unsure about her, I think it was the case that she did not do her best work at the beginning and normal expectations one normally has about the clearer diction typical of most professional narrators. As my expectations washed away I found myself truly amazed by the performance the way the emotion of the character was conveyed was amazing.
I found the book was able to fill in various gaps in the TV series and carried far more impact on me than season 1 of the TV series, not to say I did not find the TV series fantastic as well.
2 people found this helpful
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- Andrea Castillo
- 04-02-2021
Fascinating story and narration!
I absolutely loved this production! The story is engaging and Margaret Atwood's writing is impeccable.
There are many memorable moments in this story, but mostly it was just fascinating to actually picture the scenes and characters. The ceremonies were mind-blowing. If you want to listen to a meaningful story that is somewhat of a reality check at times for where we're heading to as a civilization, this audiobook is worth your time.
I loved the narrator. She really tells the story, she's not simply reading the words. She made me believe that all of it really did happen to her. Volume, pace, diction, tone... everything was just on the spot.
1 person found this helpful
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- Colette
- 16-09-2019
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-07-2019
Engancha
Estupendo. La voz te mete a fondo en la historia, que es impresionante. Te hace incluso pensar en sociedades donde hay grupos no tan lejos de como viven en esta distopia
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-06-2022
listened to book after watching series
Like most I watched the series first. listening to the book now is super enjoyable. its great to kind of visualise the characters Margeret is describing in her book.
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- Cliente Amazon
- 07-06-2021
Addictive
I could listen to this all day long and, to be quite honest, I have.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-05-2021
great concept. but scenes and reality hop around
continuity is confusing. you jump from reality to fantasy and scene to unrelated scene like a rabbit. maybe text is better for this one.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-05-2021
Elisabeth Moss is such a great narrator
I can listen to this for hours and not get bored. It's a great story and a great performance. Absolutely fantastic. Love it!
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- Nicola
- 11-12-2020
Masterfully written but disturbing
The narration was exceptional. The story was masterfully written but the content was disturbing. I appreciated it but did not enjoy it.
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- Anonymous User
- 22-09-2020
Interesting events and concept
Intriguing overall concept and events. Underwhelming toward the end, left wondering plenty of things - not in a good way. Beautifully read.
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- Emma
- 01-10-2019
Absolutely Incredible
Such an amazing story! I normally read quite trashy fiction and this has been such a breath of fresh air. The story is brought to life by Moss, who had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was truly addicted to this book and feel so sad that it’s finished!
18 people found this helpful
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- SMc
- 04-02-2020
High on promise low on delivery
I struggled to finish this book. I purchased because I missed the TV series so thought the storyline must be good.
I didn't enjoy the narration. She has a "fifty shades" type of tone with little variation. I overlooked this because I thought a great storyline would follow so I persevered.
The story feels unfinished. It revolves around a concept, an environment and a changed way of living. I feel this is all described with a series of examples but with no real story to hold it together and drive it forward.
I will not purchase part 2.
12 people found this helpful
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- jonty59
- 26-01-2020
No plot-no characterisation-no dialogue-just bleak
Apart from Cormac McCarthy’s ‘ the Road’, this is the worst book I have ever listened to. There is no discernible plot, the characters are flat and lifeless, what dialogue there is is monosyllabic and mundane, and the back story is 2 dimensional and unimaginative. If there was even a little humour to give some relief to the interminable bleakness – but there is none, and I mean zero.
On the plus side, the narrator’s lifeless drone was perfectly suited to the depressing soulless tone of the writing. Also, I really enjoyed the finale as it meant an end to the dreary monotony.
12 people found this helpful
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- A. Peacock
- 01-10-2019
too close for comfort
I listened to this over a few days while decorating! kept having to pause painting to listen intently. Really good narrator. I dipped in
to the tv series but I couldn't engage with it so was unsure about this book, but it's been really enjoyable - if that's the right word!
11 people found this helpful
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- Simon Barker
- 28-01-2020
So boring
No idea why this is so revered - one of the dullest books I’ve ever struggled through.
10 people found this helpful
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- Simon
- 03-10-2019
A Grim Tale Indeed
As there has naturally been so much excitement over the long-awaited sequel to this book I thought that it was nigh on time that I gave it a try. First up, I can see why it did and indeed continues to fascinate so many people. Atwood's portrayal of a brutally oppressive patriarchal society is as chilling and grim as they come. While I may indulge myself with the odd zombie apocalypse it's undoubtedly true that the only ingredient you really need to create a dystopian future is the human race.
Attwood creates a fine sense of paranoia and suffocating oppression. This is a quite unrelentingly grim and claustrophobic tale of one woman's bravery in a society totally dominated by men. Atwood gradually reveals a chillingly banal process of culture being subverted into oppression, it doesn't take much to penetrate the veneer of civilisation.
It's a thought-provoking book. Personally I never thought it quite lived up to all of the hype that's surrounded it recently. The constant hankering back to previous times and need to assign wistful memories to so many everyday events was just a little overdone I thought.
Still, it's a good, if pretty grim, read and a very thought-provoking book.
32 people found this helpful
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- Burcu ANIL
- 24-07-2019
A great pleasure to listen to
Not having seen the series on TV but having watched Elizabeth Moss in Mad Men I thought she would be good to listen to. I read Atwood before and liked her style. This audio book has exceeded my expectations to an extent I didn't think was possible. Atwood's use of language is mesmerising. And listening to Moss read it was like watching to a top quality play. The story? Amazing. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to really think about the times we live in.
36 people found this helpful
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- Robyn
- 29-01-2020
Dystopian world story, or cautionary tale?
I had not seen the television series, or followed any of the hype - I just recognised the name of the book, so took a punt and listened.
It's a reasonably heavy listen, and it's told in the first person, set in the present, but the weirdness is explained by memories of before and of what happened - which gets us to the current predicament. It's difficult to write a review without giving too much away - part of what makes it interesting is the act of piecing it all together - how did this happen? When did this happen? What about the rest of the world? etc etc
Like I said, I've not read up on the hype or reviews - so apologies if what I'm writing is in conflict to anything you've read or believe - but these are the questions it raised for me by coming to this book "blind" as it were: Is the author trying to warn us about religious extremism; or perhaps a cautionary tale about what happens when sexual freedoms go too far?; or perhaps it's about the risk of pollution to our environment, and genetic tampering leading to a failure of society.....? Is this where we could end up if too many outliers / conspiracies are left uncontrolled and all combine to create this dystopian order?
I'm not sure I enjoyed this as entertainment, but it will certainly stay with me - thought provoking. (and surprisingly led to an interesting conversation in the office!). Warning: The TV series doesn't appear to follow the book's story too closely. I googled the TV series afterwards, and saw a couple of you tube clips - didn't recognise any of the scenes.
6 people found this helpful
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- Azzz
- 29-05-2019
Fantastic
Absolutely loved this dark and beautiful book. Elizabeth Moss’s performance is seamless. It is the best book I have listened to so far.
18 people found this helpful
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- David W.
- 20-05-2019
truly fantastic
I've struggled with audio versions of this book before by the original English narrator and Claire Danes. This version is by far superior. The book was written in 1985 however it could well have been yesterday and should be on the syllabus of any school. definitely worth a audible credit and now I'm eagerly looking forward to The Testaments.
30 people found this helpful
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