I planned on relishing this read by lasting it out as long as possible. How did that go? Finished it in three days! *drat*

I absolutely adored this. Although I should probably come clean and confess that I loved ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ from the moment I read it for my A Levels so I was well disposed towards this from the start. I should also confess that I haven’t seen the television series. I was so excited about it until I heard that, after series one, it wasn’t going to be Margaret Atwood’s story being told. I cared deeply about Offred and the only continuation I want is Atwood’s own. Otherwise I’m happy with my own imagination, thank you.

But back to ‘The Testaments’. Told with three points of view, Atwood’s skilful storyweaving brings compassion to one the characters I hated most in the first book, brings us into the future across two countries while not disappointing with Offred. I actually cried (thank goodness I wasn’t out in public 😉) when I realised I wasn’t just right about my suspicions but they were both there. If you’ve read it you’ll know what I mean but I hope that’s oblique enough to not spoil the book for you if you haven’t read it yet.

There’s lots in here to get my writerly juices flowing and to learn from. How to twist a character arc being the biggest takeaway for me. As well as making sure all the characters are rounded human beings and not two dimensional shadows existing merely to serve a narrative purpose, how to weave viewpoints, increase tension with view hopping (Atwood’s a master at this) and pacing.

Anyway, that’s enough of me drooling with excitement. If you haven’t got yourself a copy and would like to, head over to Amazon to choose your favourite format.

Oh and I listened to the audio version, which is beautifully read by Ann Dowd, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mae Whitman, Derek Jacobi and Tantoo Cardinal and Margaret Atwood herself *squee*.

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you choose to click on the link and buy I receive a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything more and it helps me. It’s a win-win.