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The Handmaid's Tale

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Inlander:
. . . by Margaret Atwood. Just finished reading it. Anyone else read it? (Or, at a stretch, seen the movie?)

Seems like a book worthy of discussion.

Valrus:
I've read it. But it was a while ago, so if I were to make an attempt at discussing it, I'd need something to go on in terms of reminding me what went on in it.

I recall being disappointed by the ending, although the book itself was good.

Inlander:
Which aspect of the ending, the ending of the novel itself or the "historical notes" appendix?

I thought the ending of the novel itself was fine, it's certainly not the only novel or story to end on such an ambiguous note. But the appendix fudged the issue a bit - while it was amusing to read, it seemed to be almost as if Atwood was saying "But really it's okay, I got a bit dark in this novel but it all ends happily eventually." Which weakened the impact of the novel for me, somewhat.

hoax:
I have read the book MANY times and seen the movie!  Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite writers.

I do see what you guys are saying about the ending.  But here's my question:  If you think it's unsuitable, how would you have ended the book?

Inlander:
I think the novel is great and ends perfectly, and in a perfectly suitable manner. I think that the appendix, though amusing, is unnecessary and possibly a little detrimental to the novel that's gone before it. I'm not really sure why Atwood put it in there, other than for a bit of a laugh. I really see the novel and the appendix as two seperate entities.

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