Member Reviews
I think it's great that so many books, especially books considering classics that may/or may not be very accessible to our school age students are being revitalized in a graphic novel format. I'm not sure this graphic novel did anything for the original however. I would recommend just reading the original novel and skipping this adaption.
As someone who never read the actual book, I was delightfully surprised at how engaging the graphic novel was. The story is huge and intimidating for someone who gets overwhelmed by grimness and despair, so the graphic novel would serve anyone well in this respect because it breaks up much of the content into beautiful illustrations. The coloring and layout was spooky and creative, I definitely enjoyed reading it!
I really enjoyed this one. It's a faithful version of the original, and the art style is remarkably fitting for the story-- really beautiful, but somehow haunting. I would definitely recommend reading the original first, just so you can have a full appreciation for the graphic novel and how it portrays the story, but it would also be a good jumping-off point for somehow looking to know about the original story after watching the show.
This is really well done. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because some parts of it felt short and abrupt in many places. I feel like it’s excellent as a companion to the book but doesn’t hold up as well by itself. There are just so many things it doesn’t have the time to explore/explain as fully. I’d definitely recommend reading the novel before reading the graphic novel. As a companion to the original novel though, it's fantastic.
I think my love for the original affected my enjoyment of this one. I read it twice to give it a fair shot and ended up really liking it. The art is simple and has a stripped down feeling, which works well for the story's mood. My biggest problem is that I failed to connect emotionally with the characters. I've read enough graphic novels to know this is not a failure caused by the format. It also ended abruptly. I can't remember if that was the case with the original.
I would suggest this to both readers who haven't experienced the story yet and those who want to experience it anew.
A beautiful and haunting graphic adaptation of Atwood's classic novel - finally a Handmaid's Tale adaptation that actually gets the econowives' striped dresses! Uhm. Other than that, yes, a terrifying vision of things to come. But this adaptation definitely captures the imagery of the novel perfectly. It's gorgeous, horrifying, and very, very well done. Highly recommend for fans of the novel, TV series, or any woman in the world right now. Read it, seriously.
Also, finally, we get to see the econowives in their stripes!
The style of the drawing for this graphic novel was excellent... reminiscent of Aeon Flux. The pages for the e-galley of this title were out of order. At first I thought it was just the way they were trying to tell the story, but I soon realized that it wasn't purposeful. Despite that, I enjoyed it very much. Luckily, I've read the book so I already knew how the story was supposed to progress.
As much as I love The Handmaid;s Tale and was really excited to get my hands on the graphic novel I found that I really didn't enjoy the artwork. The richness of the story was still there and I do believe fans of the book will enjoy the graphic novel, I just won't be among them. I expected more fleshed out illustrations or a really stark art style to elevate the Handmaids. Perhaps I'll give it another try once it is out in print.
Still an amazing novel and well worth the read. Art IS subjective after all.
I've not read the Handmaid's Tale (or watched the TV series) but I enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation. The artwork was full of depth but did not overshadow the story and maintained the dark mood of the tale throughout.
This graphic novel follows the book pretty closely. It is well illustrated with an interesting style that keeps your attention.
I have never read or seen the Handmaid's tale. I kind of knew what the story was about, not entirely. And now after delving into the graphic novel, i must read the full book, AND watch the show to see if I can get all my questions answered. This is a pretty through book, so I doubt there is much missing from the full page book, but ugggggghhhhhhhhhh. So many holes I must fill.
Offred is a handmaid. It is her entire duty to be chattel and carry children for those, in this case the Commander and his wife, who can not have them otherwise. Children are precious, because of war and strife many are infertile, or incapable of bearing healthy children. Lots of things have been outlawed, and woman no longer have lives of their own. They are cast into a system in which they stay until they are used up. High wifes dress in blue, handmaids in read, the help in green, and lesser wifes strips. Woman are not allowed to talk, to ask questions, to hold command. It is a men’s society. Offered is just one of many handmaids, but this is her story. We get brief glances of her life before, and outlay of her life now, and those who came before her, and are left a mystery for her future.
This book is evocative. And there are many mysterious holes I want filled in this story. Background for one. What caused this division. There is a page that briefly mentions different religious sects and how they fight against each other. How women changed their bodies, wanted to prevent pregnancy, and how they wanted to live lives that would currently make them un-women.
Over all I loved this book, and it has made a desire in me to know more. Thank goodness Atwood is writing a sequel, and hopefully the will make a graphic novel of it as well.
The artwork makes for a very somber adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, primarily relying on shades of grey with red and blue to emphasize the handmaids' and wives' different domains. While it managed to pick up the largest arcs of the story, it definitely missed some of the plot that fleshed out this story.
It's frankly hard to imagine how a better graphic novel adaptation could have possibly been pulled off. The artwork Renee Nault bring this masterwork of dystopian fiction alive in ways that easily rivals anyone's imagination, and now Margaret Atwood's tale is even more accessible than ever in a time where it has become all-too-relevant.
I'm very glad to see this get a graphic novel adaptation with all of the hype surrounding Hulu's show. This book is timeless and I do think that this adaptation does it justice. It's an important cautionary tale - so the more who read it, the better.
Well crafted adaptation of a classic. Great art and color work throughout this graphic novel. I'll definitely recommend it.
The United States government has been overthrown by a totalitarian religious regime. Women, the LGBTQ community, ethnic minorities, scientists, and many others become extremely oppressed. A woman now known as Offred is a Handmaid, a woman valued only for her fertility. She works for the Commander and his Wife. She does the shopping, some chores, and once a month, she takes place in the Ceremony, where she lies with the Commander in hopes of conceiving a child. But Offred remembers the times before. When she had a job, money, a child of her own. These memories could get her taken away by the Eyes, but she does not forget. As she wills herself to continue through her life in Gilead, we learn pieces of her story as she conveys terror, dread, oppression, and hope in this new world.
I imagine many people know the basic story told in the Handmaid's Tale. I did, even though I have not read the original. I was supposed to in high school but eh, high school. I thought maybe this graphic adaption would be a little easier to digest. And it was, in a way, but it was also haunting in its own right. Nault's illustrations really hit home because, aside from the attire that the women wear, everything looks so damn familiar. The settings, the buildings, the men and people in general. It could be here, now, anywhere. And it is. The illustrations, to me, bring the story to the present in a way the original would have wanted. It speaks of how quickly the world can change, if we let it. Beautifully done.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the eARC
By now, The Handmaid's Tale has permeated all aspects of our lives. Book consistently being talked about, television series, oddly relevant in these times...
Enter the graphic novel. The story that most know is told briskly, with straight, uncomplicated lines and delicious colors. Beautiful to look at, another way to enjoy this classic.