The Testaments, Margaret Atwood - Review

I was so scared to read The Testaments when it first came out, simply because of how much I loved the previous book, The Handmaid's Tale. I was terrified it wouldn't live up to the hype and I would be left with nothing but a 'don't meet your idols' kind of feeling. Anyway the time came and I finally decided to read it!

The Testaments (2019) by Margaret Atwood, picks up fifteen years after the infamous ending of the first book The Handmaid's Tale (1985). It is ultimately 'the testaments' of three women and their experience in patriachal Gilead, with chapters alternating between the three narrators.
The story really enticed me and gave me every inch of information I wanted to know after the first book. It really drew me in and I had that feeling of 'needing' to finish it and know what happened.

The tone and narrative of The Testaments, differs so intensely from The Handmaid's Tale, primarily due to the fact two of the narratives are from a teenage perspective. The narrative comes across as far more hopeful and optimistic, compared to Offred's bleak and survivalist account of Gilead, in the first book. The book definitely felt more in line with the TV show's depiction of events, favouring action and a more aggressive 'punch in the face' kind of approach to tackling the patriachy, rather than staying true to the original book.

It is without a doubt that Aunt Lydia's chapter's were my favourite to read. They were reminiscent of the tone and style of The Handmaid's Tale and I found myself more invested in Aunt Lydia's character than any others. If this book had just focused on Aunt Lydia, I would have been equally just as happy.