Hardcover, 451 pages
chinese language
Published by 上海译文出版社.
《使女的故事》结局十五年后，基列国的统治从内部显露出衰腐的迹象。在巨变将临的关键时刻，三位不同身份背景的女性的命运开始交错，进而引发了颠覆性的后果。她们从各自的视角见证了历史的变迁，三种不同的叙事声音构建起一个更宏大、更开阔的时空，首度披露了基列国倾覆背后的秘闻。过去与未来在讲述中逐渐交叠，真相以令人惊叹的面貌呈现在读者眼前。
A welcome sequel to AHT - brings a level of hope to the world of Gilead that’s only hinted at in the final chapter of AHT and allows a character who is presented one way to demonstrate a very different side. Brilliant.
Highly recommend this fantastic story of our times !!
The Aunt Lydia parts were fantastic; the rest, less so. Learning more about the history of Gilead and how it was viewed and dealt with from the outside was wonderful and I'd have happily read a lot more of that. The journey into and out of Gilead on the other hand was rushed and overly neat. There was also a definite lack of urgency or surprise, but I suppose a relatively uplifting tale was welcome.
I don't think it would have worked as well for me without the tie-in provided by the series, but with that context, it was a fantastic read that I enjoyed tremendously.
The Testaments was enjoyable and answered many questions I had after reading The Handmaid’s Tale, but it wasn’t necessary. I haven’t watched the show, nor do I intend to after finding out it strayed so far away from the first novel, so my expectations for this sequel were based solely on what I read and loved about Offred’s story. If you enjoyed the first book, I’d definitely recommend giving this a read, but don’t fall under the false assumption that it will trump The Handmaid’s Tale because it certainly falls short of the tense and atmospheric debut of Gilead.
Se me ha hecho pesado hasta la mitad. Luego a partir de ahí me lo he acabado en dos días. No es mejor que la primera parte pero es más esperanzador.
When I first read the Handmaid's Tale, about 30 years ago, it had a powerful effect on me. I read it again, a few days ago, and this powerful effect is still there.
The Testaments though it's a different story, intense and strange. It didn’t provoke the same feelings. it is only barely connected to the Handmaid’s Tale novel with respect to character, style, or tone. It looks more like a political and theological satire of misogyny, corruption and apathy. It’s a thriller.
I was intrigued by the character of Aunt Lydia. A complex, twisted and ruthless character. A survivor. Her hatred towards the theocratic Gilead turned her into the monster she ultimately became. No action, however cruel, can stop her. And eventually she takes her revenge. She is a fascinated character, the backbone of the story, the one that connects all the other characters.
Thoroughly entertaining page turner...which is not something I'd have said about The Handmaid's Tale! I loved Aunt Lydia, I liked getting answers. Most the negative reviews I'm seeing are people who are wanting another literary masterpiece or don't like teenager characters in dystopian settings... So maybe skip it if that's you.
I listed to the audiobook and I thoroughly recommend.
My high expectations were exceeded
Three points of view added a depth to this tale that made up for the fact that a second novel rarely has the impact of the first.
Hearing the story from the perspectives of an Aunt, a Commander's daughter, and a Canadian girl gave me a more nuanced and intimate view of Gilead.
