The last time I wrote a review on here, it was sunny and I was sitting in the garden with a bowling ball bump in the way. Currently, Oscar has taken Olive to see her Nana and I'm resting, writing, and waiting for the bath to run. An hour of luxury.
This book, The Testaments (sequel to The Handmaid's Tale), has genuinely been the most excited I've been about a book since the third Harry Potter. I taught The Handmaid's Tale to my sixth form class last year and I loved it. All the symbolism; all the historical context. I wish my class the best of luck as they sit their exams this summer...the 7 of you know who you are...university is just around the corner and I know you'll be amazing. Whilst we were studying it, I took them to a convent round the corner to see how religious groups exist in today's world. We met a 80 year old nun, someone who I would associate with Aunt Lydia (cunning, persuasive, yet charming and, now, after this second read: an unexpecting outsider). I hope my students learn to be curious, to question the world around them and most importantly, to respect that everything has a cycle in life...or, in the words of Atwood: "as they say, history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes".
This book arrived through my letterbox two days before I gave birth and I read little pages here and there throughout the first 6 months. I savoured it. Sometimes, I indulged (especially towards the end when we all want to know what happens...) but mostly, I read a chapter in the rare bath I had or when Olive had fallen asleep and I remembered that I was reading a book. It's got tea ring marks on the top of it where I've clearly only been able to manage to sit and sip tea rather than focus my brain on reading. I pre-ordered it on amazon and it arrived on the 10th September. When I found out Atwood was writing this sequel, I couldn't quite believe it. 35 years after she first wrote The Handmaid's Tale.
What I found structurally interesting was the narrative chapters, broken down between 3 voices. Maybe these three voices echo the 3 voices in the Old Testament and weren't accidental?! The Priest = custodial of the law (Aunty Lydia?); The Prophet = conscience of the nation that cross-examines and speaks up for people (Baby Nicole/Jade?) and The King = marked my wisdom but not always wise (Agnes?). The 3 characters that would be included were debated in my sixth form class...Moira, June, the two babies were all guesses. No one guessed Aunt Lydia and no one guessed what Aunt Lydia would do. I missed Moira and June though. Maybe they were best served in the first novel and the new voices of women deserved a chance. That's what the new generation of today need: a voice. All people need one and, here, in this novel, it takes a secretive note to turn out and be the most important.
The men within Gilead are shown to be ruthless (the dentist, Commander Judd) but also, Aunt Vidala is one of the most interesting characters that allows Atwood to express that it is not just men who aid the darkness of the world to corrupt it. I remember reading somewhere that despite the fact that men have ruled lands for forever, Atwood wanted to create an equal hierarchy within men and women in society. We all have individual voices; some priestly, some prophetical, some kingly, but the main thing is to understand that we need to hear and listen to all the range of voices in order to be a well rounded, understanding society: not just those of the few.
This book, The Testaments (sequel to The Handmaid's Tale), has genuinely been the most excited I've been about a book since the third Harry Potter. I taught The Handmaid's Tale to my sixth form class last year and I loved it. All the symbolism; all the historical context. I wish my class the best of luck as they sit their exams this summer...the 7 of you know who you are...university is just around the corner and I know you'll be amazing. Whilst we were studying it, I took them to a convent round the corner to see how religious groups exist in today's world. We met a 80 year old nun, someone who I would associate with Aunt Lydia (cunning, persuasive, yet charming and, now, after this second read: an unexpecting outsider). I hope my students learn to be curious, to question the world around them and most importantly, to respect that everything has a cycle in life...or, in the words of Atwood: "as they say, history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes".
This book arrived through my letterbox two days before I gave birth and I read little pages here and there throughout the first 6 months. I savoured it. Sometimes, I indulged (especially towards the end when we all want to know what happens...) but mostly, I read a chapter in the rare bath I had or when Olive had fallen asleep and I remembered that I was reading a book. It's got tea ring marks on the top of it where I've clearly only been able to manage to sit and sip tea rather than focus my brain on reading. I pre-ordered it on amazon and it arrived on the 10th September. When I found out Atwood was writing this sequel, I couldn't quite believe it. 35 years after she first wrote The Handmaid's Tale.
What I found structurally interesting was the narrative chapters, broken down between 3 voices. Maybe these three voices echo the 3 voices in the Old Testament and weren't accidental?! The Priest = custodial of the law (Aunty Lydia?); The Prophet = conscience of the nation that cross-examines and speaks up for people (Baby Nicole/Jade?) and The King = marked my wisdom but not always wise (Agnes?). The 3 characters that would be included were debated in my sixth form class...Moira, June, the two babies were all guesses. No one guessed Aunt Lydia and no one guessed what Aunt Lydia would do. I missed Moira and June though. Maybe they were best served in the first novel and the new voices of women deserved a chance. That's what the new generation of today need: a voice. All people need one and, here, in this novel, it takes a secretive note to turn out and be the most important.
Maybe the most powerful voices are the ones unheard.I would love to end the review on that one liner, but I think there's something else to mention. Maybe the ending for me was slightly predictable...not in a bad way though. In a comforting way because I know the book is in capable hands of a woman I respect. The book started and ended with a statue. Statues of women...what was the last statue of a woman that you saw that wasn't Queen Victoria? I couldn't say. Maybe I'll pay more attention to that. Statues are, after all, what history leaves behind, albeit controversial. Cecil Rhodes comes to mind (my year 10 students should remember this from studying To Kill A Mockingbird) as well as Nelson, Stalin, and many more.
The men within Gilead are shown to be ruthless (the dentist, Commander Judd) but also, Aunt Vidala is one of the most interesting characters that allows Atwood to express that it is not just men who aid the darkness of the world to corrupt it. I remember reading somewhere that despite the fact that men have ruled lands for forever, Atwood wanted to create an equal hierarchy within men and women in society. We all have individual voices; some priestly, some prophetical, some kingly, but the main thing is to understand that we need to hear and listen to all the range of voices in order to be a well rounded, understanding society: not just those of the few.
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