The Handmaid's Tale cover art

The Handmaid's Tale

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The Handmaid's Tale

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Amy Landecker, Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, Elisabeth Moss
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year at the British Book Awards 2020.

Winner of Best Audiobook (Fiction) at the New York Festival Radio Awards 2020.

Read by Elisabeth Moss, star of the hit Channel 4 TV series.


Go back to where it all began with the dystopian novel behind the award-winning TV series.

"I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light."

Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs.

Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction.

'As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it' Guardian

'A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist', Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other.

'A contemporary classic… the book serves as a chilling reminder of what women have experienced' Independent

©2011 O W Toad Ltd (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Classics Dystopian Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Science Fiction Women's Voices World Literature Scary Thought-Provoking

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All stars
Most relevant
The Handmaid's Tale is one of the best books / tv shows to ever happen. The book / audiobook is excellent I just wish there were more

Can't get enough!

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... and now listening to this beautifully delivered reading by Elizabeth Moss. She paces it wonderfully. It has real grace.

Loved reading this book

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I have previously scoffed at Audible’s insistence on calling audiobooks narrated by famous actors “performed” but Elisabeth Moss delivers what I can only describe as a flawless performance here. Wish I could give it many more stars!

Incredible Performance by Elisabeth Moss

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This is a classic but I didn't listen to this on audible until I started watching the TV series and loved it.... I thought the book was bound to be better so I stopped watching the show and got the book instead... it's so good - it's read by Elizabeth Moss who played Ofred in the TV series and she is clearly a very talented lady. The narration was excellent and I felt like she was speaking to me!

What's up with the ending though??? It was a really unexpected twist but I kind of wonder if it's not a bit of an option out when it would be so hard to bring this story to any real conclusion.

On to the sequel.....

Excellent

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Brilliant performance which brought the book to life. If you're looking for the suspense of the TV series you might be disappointed - but still, this is a remarkable piece of art. Looking forward to the sequel.

Exceptional

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