THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood (✰✰✰)

After several excellent books in a row, I did not expect my streak to end with this book, as it was so favored by so many others. It was a huge disappointment for me. On the basis of the story alone, I would likely have given it only two stars, as it did not grab me the way it seems to grab others. The story is of a society in the near future, where women are subjugated and classified into given roles. Handmaids are women of childbearing years given to couples unable to have children of their own. I found the whole premise far-fetched, and nothing made it more believable for me. Even having read other's opinions and their arguments as to why they believe we are heading in this direction in our own society (other issues besides women are touched on, but only in passing), I did not buy into it one iota. What earned it the third star was Atwood's masterful writing. She has a supreme talent for doling out information in little dribs and drabs that gently lead the reader to the whole picture. While this particular dystopian theme was not my cup of cocoa, I will definitely read another of her novels, as I liked her style.