She's primarily a poet. So you can see how that writing style reflected in her prose, and her need to rephrase the same idea 2 to 3 times to add color. I enjoyed that at first, and found it slightly additive to read, but it started to wear thin about half way through.

The plot was just okay. It was basically a slice of life journal from a specific time period. There are other dystopias that have a stronger message and accomplish more, but this one was rather unique.

The only thing I had issues with was the message. I found it forced to a degree that I suspected that the author might be slightly schizophrenic. And when she draws parallels with biblical instances, that they were taken out of context either through ignorance or likely intentionally, so that she could say "see how evil the patriarchy is?" which only works based on the ignorance of the reader. I found that disingenuous. If you can't find proper resources to add depth to your story, don't lie to your audience, simply don't use them, or find other instances that do work.

I'm referring to the book misleading the reader that the concept of a handmaid giving birth to children for the patriarch. Historically, it was the patriarch's wife that came up with the idea (Sarah and Hagar), which was completely left out, since it didn't fit with the narrative that the author was pushing; that this was a society built up by old men, for old men to objectify young women, and as a warning never to let men go this far again (erroneously).

Since the entire crux of the story revolves around illiteracy, I can see why it's popular in college settings. But no, I don't consider it a good book. It feels closer to propaganda, honestly.