Mel

An enjoyable read - but also, sadly, an unnecessary one. I can't help but wonder why Atwood felt the need to write this book (marketed as a separate, but related, story to The Handmaid's Tale, which is simply not true). It seems she felt compelled by her readers, new and old, and their questions to write The Testaments. The quality of writing is nowhere near that of Atwood's prize-winning works and rather more akin to that of your run-of-the-mill books - which is not to say it is bad writing, just that it is by no means the elegant prose of The Handmaid's Tale. The plot is predictable and, at points, poorly conceived. If this was not a world I was desperate to know more about, I'm sure my rating and satisfaction with the novel would be much lower.

I would rather not go into spoilers but I so wish Atwood had written a completely separate story, with none of the same characters as the original (or characters linked to them or to those in the TV series). Gilead is a truly fascinating world to explore and there were so many avenues Atwood could have taken.

I ordinarily grant each book a simple star rating; it will not be so here. This is the kind of special book that requires several readings.

exceptional

I could read about these characters for years. Precise, often spare, writing dotted with elegant and entrancing passages. Thoroughly enjoyed.

First half is an absolute banger, falls off a bit in the second half but consistently a joy to read.