The Handmaid's Tale - back with a book review

It's been a while since I wrote on the blog... what can I say, it was a stressful period in my life and I needed time to get used with the changes and try to find myself in the new context. But I can not stay away forever from the blog. I posted rarely on instagram, but until now I haven't came back completely.

A trecut ceva timp de cand am scris pe blog... a fost o perioada stresanta din viata mea si aveam nevoie de timp sa ma obinuiesc cu schimbarile si sa incerc sa ma regasesc in noul context. Dar nu pot sta departe de blog pentru totdeauna. Postam mai rar pe instagram, dar pana acum nu am revenit complet.

Carusel Library

I decided for my first post to be a book review, because after I graduated I finally had free time and could get back to reading for fun and not just for college. Today's book I bought when I visited Bucharest and the beautiful library Carusel from the old city. I had the incentive to read it when I saw in one of Andreea Balaban's( Romanian vlogger)  videos that she recommended the tv show created based on the book. I knew I had to read the book before I could watch the show and now that I also watched season 1 of the show I will share my thoughts about it.

Am decis ca primul post sa fie recenzie de carte, deoarece dupa ce am absolvit and avut in sfarsit timp liber si am putut sa ma intorc la cititul recreativ si nu doar pentru facultate. Cartea de astazi am cumparat-o cand am vizitat Bucurestiul si frumoasa librarie Carusel din orasul vechi. Am avut impulsul de a citit cartea dupa ce am vazut in unul din videourile Andreei Balaban recomandarea pentru serialul creat pe baza cartii. Stiam ca trebuie sa citesc cartea inainte sa ma uit la serial si acum ca am vazut si sezonul 1 al serialul am decis sa va impartasesc parerea.

In a not so far future America, a christian regime takes over the power violently and women are deprived of almost all their rights, like having a job, money on their name, reading and almost any education. The world apparently is affected by the pollution and some toxic debrief, because of this the child birth dropped massively. So the women that are fertile are rounded up and made the so called handmaides. They will live in the houses of high commanders that can not have children and every month in the fertile period, during a process so called Ceremony, the man has sex with her in the presence of his wife in hopes that she will provide them a child. 
The book reminds as that all we have achieved regarding human rights, can be reverted in a moment if the good people stand without a fight. Also ironic that in the book only women could be infertile, it was forbidden to even hint that a man could be.
One other thing that terrifies me is that from the outside everything seemed fine in the country, they even had some asian tourists. Could you imagine that even today terrible things are happening in the world and we do aren't even aware?

Intr-un viitor foarte apropiat in America un regim crestin preia conducerea in mod violent si femeile sunt private the aproape toate drepturile, precum a avea o slujba, bani pe numele lor, a citi si aproape deloc educatie. Lumea este aparent afectata de poluare si ramasite toxice, din cauza calora natalitate a scazut vertiginos. Astfel femeile care sunt fertile sunt adunate si facute slujitoare. Acestea vor locui in casele marilor comandanti care nu pot avea copii si, in fiecare luna in perioada fertila, in timpul unei ceremonii, barbatul face sex cu slujitoare in prezenta sotiei cu speranta ca acestea le va da un copil.
Cartea ne aduce aminte ca tot ce am realizat in privinta drepturilor umane, poate fi anulat intr-un moment daca oamenii buni se lasa fara lupta. De asemenea este ironic in aceasta carte ca doar femeile pot fi infertile, este interzis ca macar sa sugerezi ca un barbat ar putea fi.
 Un alt lucru care ma inspaimanta este ca din afara totul arata normal in tara, ei chiar au turisti asiatici. Va puteti imagina chiar astazi lucruri ingrozitoare se intampla in lune si noi nici nu suntem constienti.

 

The tv show has only one season, but I've read that they will continue it. Even if I read the book and the show changes a few things, I really enjoyed it. The secondary characters were described more in the show and we find out more about their life before.

Serialul are doar un sezon, dar am citit ca va avea continuare. Chiar daca am citit cartea si serialul a schimbat unele lucruri, chiar mi-a placut. Personajele secundare primesc mai multa atentie in serial, afland mai multe lucruri despre viata lor de dinainte.


This makes me appreciated what we have, never take it for granted and always fight for it.

Acestea m-au facut sa apreciez ce avem, sa nu iau de la sine si intotdeauna sa luptam pentru asta.

All the best,
Anca