This book was well written and I'm glad I read it. I felt, as a Canadian, that it was part of my cultural education to read at least one Margaret Atwood book!
Over the years I've heard Atwood offer opinions on various subjects (for a time she was often interviewed by the CBC when they were seeking insight into different subjects) and she was well known to be an opponent of free trade with the USA. I usually found those interviews frustrating as I didn't like the way Atwood expressed herself - it wasn't about whether I agreed with her point or not, I just found her incredibly pompous and condescending. I need to say this because I'm not sure if these opinions are influencing my feelings about her writing.
Overall I found the writing to be pompous and the plot was unsatisfying. While the story was interesting and the characters reasonably well developed, the characters didn't grow or change.
The world described in this book is a feminist's nightmare and I consider myself a feminist (growing more and more radical with each passing year). I thought that I'd come away from this book motivated and inspired to continue to fight against the very patriarchy played out in this story. But I didn't. In the end I was disappointed and somewhat depressed.
While you can see this book as a cautionary tale of what can happen when women are oppressed, there was no corresponding encouragement to fight against such moves in our society.
Too bad, I'd hoped for better

"There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it."

Wow... just wow. What an incredible book. This story is especially poignant for our times, for all times. It is beautifully written. We follow Offred, a Handmaid to the Commander and his barren wife's household, which means once a month, she endures a clinical ten minutes with the Commander in the hopes that she can provide a child for the ever more barren world.

Atwood has a gorgeous prose style. The narrative is from Offred's perspective and she speaks both about the past and the present - the shift hardly noticeable as you waltz between Offred's recollections and her current situation. She's an unreliable narrator, but she owns up to and corrects when she's wrong. She speaks directly to you. You feel her words, from her lips to your mind, writhe in an agonizing dance across your soul. It is so easy to be consumed by the story. It's a terrifyingly quiet dystopian. Like a mouse with the roar of a lion. The most masterful part from Atwood is that you never know what is coming next for Offred. I held my breath to the very end and all I can say is I want more of Offred's story! I highly recommend this for everyone.

Cleverly written, but a frustrating ending.