Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and shared the Booker Prize. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy. Biography: Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry and critical essays.And so powerfully feminist', Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other.

Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow or rather, no shadow unless there is also light. 'As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it' Guardian Go back to where it all began with the dystopian novel behind the award-winning TV series.

**A BBC BETWEEN COVERS BIG JUBILEE READ**

The handmaid's tale series books