OK, WOW. Seriously that's what my response was to this. The layers of meaning, the messages, the utter repulsion I felt trying to imagine it actually happening and realizing it wasn't hard to at all. It was all superb.

This, I am embarrassed to say is my first Atwood book. I found her writing to be like my dream prose. It's poetic and descriptive, while not being long-winded or confusing. The pages seemed to fly by and I got to the end and felt desperate for more book. I liked that she didn't feel the need to wrap everything up neatly; after being confronted with so much throughout the narrative, a more conclusive end would have felt false to me.

Finally, the story said a lot to me. It made the trend's I've watched develop seem more eerie and sinister than ever before. Although I could look at this as simply a scary idea, I have been trying to see it as a further example that balance is important in all things.

Recommended for all those who like a little message with their juicy reading and don't have an objection to religious criticism. ( )

I first read this book many years ago and its one of those books that has stayed with me for years. The story is a darkly prophetic vision of what could happen, written in an accessible literary style. This is a must read. ( )

One of my top 10 books. ( )

I first read this book years ago as a teen. I was both disturbed and titillated by the plot. Now seeing it with older eyes, I'm disturbed to recognize how easy such a society could be produced. ( )

This is my all-time favorite book. It is so memorable and leaves such a specific and dreadful mood behind, even years after reading it. The story itself, the details are well thought out and inventive. But it is the bone chilling feeling evoked my her writing that makes this book stand out and stick with you. One caution-- SKIP THE MOVIE. ( )