The Handmaids Tale (BBC Radio Collection)

Product description [Read by William B. Davis, Emma Campbell, and Donna Goodhand.] Set in the not-too-distant future, in a terrifying world where religion is used as a tool of repression and social control, The Handmaids Tale is the story of a young woman, Offred, recruited for reproductive purposes at a time of plummeting birth rates. The gripping narrative switches between her memories of the old world where she was a working mother and the terrifying realities of her life as a state-controlled breeding machinea Handmaid. A masterpiece of modern literature, Margaret Atwood has crafted a powerful, unforgettable novel. [Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction] From AudioFile Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel has seen several adaptations--a Hollywood film, an opera, and an unabridged audiobook, as well as this dramatization produced for BBC Radio 4. Not only is it well acted by an American cast (it wouldn't have worked with British voices), but the directors also make excellent use of subtle audio cues. For example, newscasts in the background nicely convey the culture of this dystopian society in which the few women who can bear children are made into surrogates. Though it's just three hours, this coherent production retains much of the flavor of the original novel. D.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine