The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
The Testaments – Margaret Atwood
The sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale in which the republic of Gilead is taken down.
⚑ “I haven’t anticipated a book as much as this one since Go Set a Watchman was released (side story: when I bought Go Set a Watchman the shop assistant said at the counter ‘oh have you read the first one?’. No, I am waiting outside your shop until it opens and rushing to your display of this new book on the day of its release and I’ve never read To Kill a Mockingbird).
“Was I disappointed with Go Set a Watchman? Yeah I was actually. So bearing that in mind, and despite the genius of Margaret Atwood, I went in to The Testaments with low expectations. Just because I cared so damn much and couldn’t bear the disappointment if it wasn’t amazing. It was an absolutely thrilling read, but The Testaments wasn’t what I expected and I really feel like I can’t say much more than that because anything else feels like a betrayal of the sisterhood.” – Suzy
⚑ “All other Handmaid’s fans will understand how very long and dearly I have wanted this book to be written. I was desperate to know what happened to Offred, Aunt Lydia and the Waterfords. I have pondered their fates many a time.
“Now, finally, I know. My initial thoughts? I did not want to know after all. I realise I was better off wondering, to keep the intrigue. I have never needed all the answers, or a sewn up conclusion so why did I think I needed it this time? Don’t get me wrong, I devoured the book in no time flat, there’s no denying it is a page turner. Atwood, the genius, has again produced prophecy-style fiction by using events and ideologies that really exist #legend. But at the end I felt a sense of disappointment rather than exhilaration like I did with The Handmaid’s Tale.
“Reasons: First of all I have the mini series imagery stuck firmly in my mind. Secondly, I read The Testaments not as a stand alone book, nor even as a sequel, but as an ending to The Handmaid’s Tale. I couldn’t help it. Thirdly, let’s face it, no sequel is ever as good as the original concept. You’d think I would have learned my lesson after Go Set A Watchman, but apparently not.” – Rachel
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Published 2019
Chatto & Windus
422 pages
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