It is one of the best put together novels, especially dystopian novels I have ever read. The tone is dark and dark, there is no happiness in this novel, but that's what I imagine a totalitarian government to be like. Although the novel scared me, it was inspiring. After reading the first two pages I needed to take a break and examine society and the way women are treated. Handmaids were basically just ovaries, not humans, and those without "viable ovaries" were eliminated. As scary as it may seem to live in such a society, the reality is that some women actually live this way. A woman's worth typically depends on whether she has children or whether she has a husband, especially a high-ranking one (wives in the novel). However, I have to say that The Handmaid's Tale, set in Republic of Gilead, made me appreciate my freedom as an American.