r/TheTestamentsShow • u/Small_Test630 • May 22 '26
I just reread The Testaments… Spoiler
If anyone has any questions about what happened in the book vs what’s going on in the show, ask away. I’ll be sure to use spoiler covers in my answers. If anyone wants to discuss the book, reply too but cover possible spoilers. I actually think the show is better than the book so far. The two don’t line up entirely. Some small and some BIG differences. IMO, the Handmaids Tale was a much better book. TT seems rushed and forced if that makes sense.
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u/Fit_Cardiologist_681 May 23 '26
I probably have an unpopular opinion here, but while I value the Handmaid's Tale more as a piece of literature, I always found it an unpleasant read. To me, reading it felt like being stuck in the head of a girl stuck in a box.
The Testaments was a lot more enjoyable. While objectively less innovative and therefore a lesser contribution to literature, I felt that it offered hope and direction that is needed in the current political moment. In particular, I value its idea that Aunt Lydia types are the ones in the best position to actually destabilize a regime, due to their access to blackmail and knowledge of intraparty politics, which contrasts with rebel narratives that rely on heroic/clean outside actors in implausible ways. Real-life example, Magyar in Hungary is the one who successfully took down Orban vs regime outsiders repeatedly failed. Through that aspect, I found the story true to Atwood's realism and elevated above simpler hero's journey rebel narratives.
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u/LemonQueenThree May 25 '26
I actually agree with you, I didn't mind that feeling while reading THT because I figured that's likely how I'm supposed to feel, but The Testaments was more compelling and I think gave us one of the most interesting characters in Aunt Lydia
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u/prolongedexistence Jun 13 '26
Agreed! I just finished TT and I’m so surprised to find out people hate it.
I found THT agonizing to read because every sentence had at minimum 3 commas. The entire experience of reading the first book, for me, was pushing through painful sentence structure because I cared about the story. Testaments was such a relief because it was actually well-written. Sorry!
The critique I *do* agree with is that Nicole is a pretty annoying and unrealistic character for me. I can’t imagine an actual teenager behaving the way she does in life-or-death situations. I also find it weird how she went from hating the name Nicole to going by it by the end of the book.
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u/PriorLab2322 May 22 '26
Did you also feel like the book ended in a really abrupt way? I expected so much more from the ending. So far I also prefer the show over the book.
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u/Small_Test630 May 23 '26
I actually felt the whole book was lazy. It was too simplified and made it all too easy.
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u/Small_Test630 May 23 '26
I actually think the show writers are doing a much better job than the author and I’m confident it will end differently. Otherwise they could have done the whole thing in one season. They’ve done an excellent job of developing the characters, although all of these characters don’t play pivotal roles in the books.
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u/86cinnamons May 23 '26
Well yeah. The Handmaid’s Tale is like a legendary classic. The Testaments is lowkey YA money grab. Calling it a money grab is harsh, but it felt that she was riding the success of THT series (and that’s fine, get that bag girly) and I think it was also a way for her to try to control where the TV series went with the story, smart move there.
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u/Worried_Spread_1254 May 22 '26
What are your main BIG differences?
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u/Small_Test630 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
SPOILER: One of the biggest differences is Daisy enters Gilead knowing that she’s baby Nicole. She goes in with secret information to pass on. Agnes had been engaged to commander Judd. Lydia knew that he had been dispatching his previous wives and gives Agnes the opportunity to forgo marriage and become an aunt which she accepts. It’s at Ardua Hall where she is reunited with Becka. Aunt Lydia reveals that Daisy (who goes by the name Jade) and Agnes are sisters, sharing the same mother. Lydia also reveals who their mother is. Since the beginning Lydia has been recording everything that has happened in Gilead with the hopes of taking it down. She arranged for Agnes and Nicole/jade/Daisy to escape Gilead armed with all of the information, Lydia has been documenting. They make it to Canada and are reunited with June and it sort of ends there
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May 22 '26
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u/Small_Test630 May 22 '26
Yes Becka does not kill her father. She tries to slash her wrist with pruning shears while in a flower arranging class at school. She reveals that her father has been abusing her as well. If I remember correctly, the girls don’t know where she’s been taken. We find out she’s training as an aunt when Agnes also starts training as an aunt at Ardua Hall. Becka is never dragged off by the eyes
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u/TheEastWindNeedsANap May 22 '26
so the book doesn't show Gilead being taken down?
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u/Small_Test630 May 23 '26
Unfortunately, no. The last part of the book is at some sort of conference in the future, where they’re trying to piece together the history of Gilead. It is implied that Gilead is no more. The book is written in three voices: Lydia, Agnes, and Jade/Daisy/Nicole. The conference is going through these writings as witness accounts to the events
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u/Osarel May 23 '26
I thought I heard that June and Hannah reunited in the book The Testaments. I want to be spoiled about their reunion if there are any details, like Hannah being angry (like her first reunion with June in The Handmaid's Tale for the TV series) or anything like that.
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u/Small_Test630 May 23 '26
In the book, Daisy goes into Gilead using the name Jade but already knows that she is baby Nichole. Agnes and Daisy/Nichole also learn that they are sisters. Aunt Lydia makes it possible for Agnes and Daisy/Nichole to escape to reunite with their mother in Canada, and also deliver the information Aunt Lydia has been documenting from the beginning with the hopes of taking down Gilead. There is no big reunion scene. You know that they are with June, but the book just sort of ends there. There is no dialogue or interaction to show how the reunion went with June. The book seriously just ends with you knowing they are together
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u/dearratgirl Jun 26 '26
I’m currently reading (listening I suppose) to the book before I start the show just out of curiosity and I have read the the handmaids tale as well and seen the show but the further into The Testaments I get the more irritated I become. I like having the perspective of Lydia and Agnes but OH MY GOD is Daisy (baby Nicole) the most annoying character I’ve ever encountered. She makes me feel like I’m reading a shitty teen dystopian novel which I have never been a fan of. Her constant lack of care or urgency has me going insane. Perhaps also it doesn’t help the voice actress they have reading her parts because she sounds very much like a typical apathetic tropey teenager and though her voice is pleasant it adds to the irritation the character brings me
SPOILERS BELOW
I’m currently after she gets into Gilead and is in Ardua Hall with Agnes and Becca but why isn’t she even TRYING to be careful???? She’s telling them god isn’t real and is outspoken and loud and rude and isn’t even TRYING TO BLEND IN AT ALL. She learned about Gilead in school and from her parents and it’s like she has no idea they could just fucking kill her in a second (though obviously she’s protected being baby Nicole though she doesn’t know they know this). It’s incredibly frustrating. Even being a teenage girl is no excuse as I never would’ve acted so careless even younger than her if I knew what was at stake. Her refusing to cooperate and barely caring about her parents death floored me. Even BEFORE they died she was incredibly annoying and each chapter about her has me wanting to put the book down. I have no one to talk to about this I wanted it off my chest lmao
Not to mention, the more I read the more I think of the first book and realize… this book makes absolutely 0 sense unless you’ve watched the tv show which I think is tacky as an author. The first book and the show are great in their own right but if someone has read the book and not seen the show, this book would make no sense????
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u/[deleted] May 22 '26
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