Testaments

The Booker Prize-Winning Sequel to the Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

English language

Published May 15, 2019 by Penguin Random House.

ISBN:: 978-1-4735-5443-6

(31 reviews)

15 years after the sons of Jacob seized power in the USA and became Gilead. The story is told from three female viewpoints; Daisy, Agnes and Lydia. Daisy struggles with coming to the realization of her past and who she really is, Agnes tells her story and life in Gilead, and Lydia contemplates her life and decisions made.

When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about …

When the van door slammed on Offred's future at the end of The Handmaid's Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead for her--freedom, prison or death.

With The Testaments, the wait is over.

Margaret Atwood's sequel picks up the story more than fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

In this brilliant sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalized readers for decades.

"Dear Readers: Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we've been living in." --Margaret Atwood

18 editions

tgt reviewed Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'Testaments' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

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.

Balise reviewed The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'The Testaments' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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.

fitx0 reviewed Los Testamentos by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'Los Testamentos' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

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.

Kat Trigarszky reviewed Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'Testaments' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

So much hype, so much noise surrounding this book. At the end, I now have two main thoughts: firstly, I don't think it is worthy of a (shared) Booker Prize win; and secondly, I find it hard to believe that a person (Aunt Lydia) could act the way she did and not get caught in such a society, ultimately bringing Gilead crumbling down.
If you are willing to suspend your disbelief and run with the story that, yes, she was simply biding her time and waiting for the appropriate moment to seek her revenge and cause the entire structure of Gilead to fall, then this is a great story. And in that sense, I romped through this book. However, it falls far short of Margaret Atwood's other novels - the majority of which I have loved simply because there is no neat resolution at the end.
Unfortunately, this feels like …

Lavinia reviewed Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'Testaments' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

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.

Oreo Teeth reviewed The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'The Testaments' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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.

patchworkbunny reviewed Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Review of 'Testaments' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

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.