The Testaments Audiobook By Margaret Atwood cover art

The Testaments

A Novel

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The Testaments

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Ann Dowd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mae Whitman, Derek Jacobi, Tantoo Cardinal, Margaret Atwood
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WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid's Tale, has become a modern classic—and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel.

More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.

Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.

As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.

"The literary event of the year." —The Guardian

"The international literary event of the season." —Globe and Mail

"It's terrifying and exhilarating." —Judges of the Booker Prize 2019

©2019 Margaret Atwood (P)2019 Penguin Random House Canada Dystopian Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Science Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

2019, Booker Prize, Winner

2019, Scotiabank Giller Prize, Long-listed

“A fast, immersive narrative that’s as propulsive as it is melodramatic.” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

"A chilling invitation no Atwood fan can resist...The Testaments reminds us of the power of truth in the face of evil.” (People)

"There may be no novelist better suited to tapping the current era’s anxieties than Margaret Atwood.” (Entertainment Weekly)
Satisfying Conclusion • Clever Plot Twists • Excellent Narration • Complex Hero • Thought-provoking Themes
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Having listened to The Handmaid’s Tale first, I enjoyed filling in some of the mysterious gaps with this tale. A couple of surprise twists!

Enjoyed this follow-up to Handmaid’s Tale

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Picking up the story with three key narrators, the tale keeps the reader in suspense about how events may unfold with a few clever twists

A fitting sequel

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So hard to read a sequel, especially after so many years and so many screen adaptations. I just LOVED the story. I feel that M. A. did just the right amount of alluding to present times. As well, I am very thankful and appreciative of the ending.

It is not easy to re-engage with characters and fictional worlds after so much water under the bridge but I loved the alternate angles we are able to see some characters from as well as more backstory to make things both more clear and more murky.

A Great Sequel

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It is difficult to keep a book to the same high standard as its predecessor but Margaret Atwood has done it! I could not put it down.

A great sequel

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This book, the sequel put it all together quite beautiful. Characters situations and chain of events kept me dedicated to the story. Looking for every opportunity to keep listening. Well done.

Currently

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Everything I hoped it would be. This book gives closure to a story that deeply disturbed me. The recent American events march along to the steady drumbeat paralleling this dystopian future. I can hear the heavy steps of the zealots and extremists lining up to make this book a reality.

Excellent

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I was waiting for the Margaret's version of the Handmaid's Tale continuation and she did not disappointed. Well written story of Gilliad resistance and "baby Nicole". Thank you, Margaret.

Great Part 2 story of the Handmaid's Tale.

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I read the Handmaids tale years ago and it was a great read bit so many loose ends this book tied everything up nicely it was very satisfying

Its about time

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This was an amazing book. There is so much in it, it's hard to know where to start. I am in awe of Margaret Atwood's ability to weave a story with so many elements together.

Here are some of the themes or elements that stood out to me:
- Strong comment about gender roles, and especially women's rights.
- Theme of freedom of choice and democracy, and how fragile it could be for us. How easy it is to take for granted.
- Reinforcement about the power of reading and writing to change people's lives for the better
- Exploration of what a dictatorship or oppressive regime could mean for the people living in it. This was a favorite quote from the book:
"What good is it to throw yourself in front of a steamroller out of moral principles and then be crushed flat like a sock emptied of its foot? Better to fade into the crowd, the piously praising, unctuous, hate-mongering crowd. Better to hurl rocks than to have them hurled at you. Or better for your chances of staying alive."
- How power works, and how bullies use it in their favour.
- So many delicious allusions to fairytales like Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and even Frozen. Also biblical allusions. Atwood sometimes reverses the fairytales to make a point, and uses biblical content to underscore how sometimes religion can be used poorly.
- And if you want some real fun, do a little research about the names of the characters. Margaret Atwood has some real zingers in there, as far as added meaning and insight into the story.

The story is told from the perspective of three female narrators. The actors that were selected from this audible recording were fantastic. I loved Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia; she portrays her intelligence, wit and seriousness with such accuracy I almost forgot I was listening to an actor. Bryce Dallas Howard portrays the innocence and gentleness of Agnes so well; although Howard is an adult, it is easy to believe Agnes is a 13 / 14 year old girl. Mae Whitman... I loved her in the TV series Parenthood and thought she did such a great job of portraying the sassy yet caring Daisy. So so so good!

Although each narrator's account was so good, I was especially taken with the account of Aunt Lydia. In the Handmaid's Tale it is so easy to dislike her. In The Testaments we get to know her much better. We learn her history and what made her into the person she has become. The additional information, which totally shifted my view of this character, reminded me of a of a longstanding personal commitment to try to give people the benefit of the doubt, even when it is hard. To understand that people are usually just trying to do their best. I think Atwood did this on purpose. In a day and age of social media, easy scrolling, angry comments online, cancel culture, etc. it is easy to assume your first impression of someone, or their motivations, is correct. But we are all fallable, and it is becoming increasingly more evident to me, that what we really need more than being right is understanding and compassion. I was happy to be reminded of this after reading through Aunt Lydia in this novel.

So much to think about in this book. I liked it immensely.



How much can one author say in one book?

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Ann Dowd! Tremendous performance. Aunt Lydia is my new favourite fictional character. Deeply appreciated this work and these performances—thank you O.W. Toad!

Suspenseful, hopeful, well written, well read

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