The Testaments: The Booker prize-winning sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale Paperback – 20 October 2020

One of the finest reads. The print is legible and cheap

I loved this book! It's been a while since I have read something that I just couldn't put down. The book is fast paced and gives us a glimpse into the lives of women in the fictional town of Gilead. The prequel gave the pov of a handmaid. But The Testaments is a story of two young girls and the famous Aunt Lydia. Despite the story being of a very serious note, it has its lighter moments that makes you smile. Great read!

The Testaments is extremely compulsively readable. However, the shift in tone is clear as day. The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian classic, with its brilliant satire of sexism and the protagonist a helpless victim of her circumstances with little to no agency of her own. This one is fast paced, and there's a lot of action, drama and hope. It reads a lot like a young adult thriller. It's not a bad thing, it's just that I did not expect to be entertained while reading a book set in Gilead. Margaret Atwood retains her magical style of writing, the dialogues are very realistic, and the book is enjoyable, overall. The Testaments offers many perspectives of Gilead, which any Handmaid's Tale enthusiast would appreciate. My favourite narrative was that of a teenage girl, written so spectacularly that it's hard to tell that an 80 year old wrote it. It's too soon to tell if this thriller will grow to become a classic like its predecessor, but it very efficiently suffices as an extension to the Gilead universe.

After reading The Handmaid's Tale with eager anticipation, I ordered this book. It arrived in good condition, and all of the pages are intact.

The reason behind this purchase being Margaret's dystopian masterpiece 'The Handmaid's Tale', the hopes are not belied. The sequential rot after blossoming is the natural outcome. The opening, just like in many a masterpiece, leaves the reader bewildered. The weathering of Statue – pigeons decorating and moss sprouting – hints at the duality in appearance and the actual. As one proceeds with the book the point that it is shrotlisted for big prize starts to dawn on one. The father one reaches the better one feels. The twists and turns in the trio's tumultuous happening in the Testaments are a tribute of the great author to the world of literature.

With this book we enter in Gilead,Picking up 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale left off,Ofcourse after 34 years, it's bound to feel different, also Atwood decided not to revisit the red cloaks & the houses and streets but also the political hierarchy system. It's not a 'handmaid's tale' instead she focuses on women who are serving Gilead’s interests in differentiating ways. Though the Handmaids are never far from the minds and stories of the three narrators in The Testaments,The Testaments brings together three narrators — Agnes, Daisy, and Aunt Lydia — to tell the continuing stories of Gilead.My favourite was of Aunt Lydia,the cruel woman who have "near-godlike status" & oversaw Handmaids' training at the Red Center, serves as one of The Testaments' narrators, & boy oh boy does she have a story for you.Without giving any spoilers I can tell you Offred's presence is short and strong.The book is mainly written to tell us about the downfall of Gilead ( I read it in the acknowledgement page, in the end)I definitely loved the book, I'll do a review soon, but I'll just say if you are planning to get this book, get it only if you have read & loved the first one.

|3.75⭐|'The Testaments', the most anticipated book of 2019 and the sequel to the much loved 'The Handmaid's Tale' soon turns into a story of vengeance and salvation, shedding the profoundness that is usually associated with Atwood's writing. Countless times I have wondered if the story was written, with Atwood acting as a guide and an editor of sorts. But it wouldn't be fair to assume that a book be the same as it's predecessor, especially if they are 35 years apart.-In 'The Testaments', the virtuous and stern Aunt Lydia emerges as a storyteller, enlightening us about the rise in her ranks to finally occupy one of the most influential positions in Ardua Hall and hence, Gilead.Her transcripts which she hopes to be considered as 'a fragile treasure box' by the future generation, also contains testimonies, narrated by two girls- Agnes and Daisy who have to shoulder the burden of purifying Gilead from the corrupt totalitarian regime.-'The Testaments' brings all of Gilead to light (the life of the Aunts, Commanders exploiting their power, the systematic abuse of women and a little bit of the contrasting life outside Gilead), unlike The Handmaid's Tale. As much as I enjoyed living inside Offred's head, it was intense and confining. The narrative here is much simpler, lacking a substantial level of word play, and divulging more towards introspection.-I enjoyed reading the chapters on Aunt Lydia and Agnes (the former more than the latter), as they echoed the same tone left by THT. I was, however, put off by Daisy's narration more times than once because of the taste it left in my mouth (very YA-ish).-Now that I have read the book and thought about it long and hard, it dawns upon me that I had expected too much out of this sequel.What Atwood brings to the table is the fall of Gilead because of internal conflicts and selfish interests- an empire crumbling from within. I had prepared myself for a story as vehement and bitter as THT, but this plot driven narrative fails to deliver. While I appreciate the story, I am also left disappointed by the lack of depth, especially in the characters. It's not one of those books that sucks you in and makes you forget the concept of time. Neither does the book try to latch on to you through thought provoking statements.-This brings me to my why I think you should give this book a try.✨The plot resonates extremely well with young minds, looking to free themselves from the shackles of an orthodox society.✨The fall of Gilead through Aunt Lydia's smart and evil scheming. While she was one of those villainous figures in THT, The Testaments provides a different angle to her story, one that is full of torment and injustice.✨An open-ended plot. We have all wondered what happened to Offred at the end of THT and this book might offer you closure.It's a conundrum, I know, but give this book a chance, okay?