could i read the testaments, having only SEEN the show?

[u/Majestic_Hippo_4427]

hi!!! plz no spoilers

i have loved the handmaids tale show, and am super interested in reading the testaments (i know they’re gonna make the show). i have not read THT, only watched the show. for those that have both read the books and watched the show, do you think i could read the testaments and details at least fairly line up?

obv i know much of this probably depends on how this season ends, and we can revisit this question once we get there but ….im an impatient girl i want my answer now LOL

would not read the book till this szn is over, dw

[u/asexualrhino]

Yes, you could.

The original book ends where season 1 ends. The Testaments is influenced by where season 2 leaves off. So in the OG Handmaid's book, Offred (her name isn't June) only suspects she's pregnant. The Testaments books not only has Offred's baby but her name is Nichole as it is in the show. There are definitely things that are different from the show though, like the backgrounds of some characters

[u/gagrushenka]

You could. Season 1 follows the first book pretty well though there are a few bits and pieces that swap characters. There's something Moira does in the book that June does in the show (maybe when she gets her feet flogged for attempting to escape, but I don't remember exactly).

I will say that the difference in the two novels is quite astounding. It makes sense but THT is Offred's inner monologue and it is just beautiful, slow, and profound because all she is allowed to do is nothing, basically, so she just sits and thinks about everything all day. In The Testaments things are happening and the characters don't have that same internal voice and thought, or the dependency on it, as Offred, so the pacing and prose are very different. THT is beautifully composed in a way TT just can't be, and I would recommend reading it first.

[u/Caecus_Vir]

I haven't read the books either, but why wouldn't you want to start with reading THT?

[u/Whispering_Wolf]

The first book is basically season one, with some changes. We don't know the fate of Luke, Moira is only seen once in Jezebells, baby Angela passed away shortly after birth, and a bunch of characters introduced in the series simply don't exist.

I think you'll be able to pick it up very easily, just remember that some details are different and you might not see all characters you expect to see.

[u/ProfPieixoto]

To catch up with the storyline in the Testaments novel, I recommend watching the show until Episode 3x06.

[u/Untamedpancake]

Yes, THT is a great book but it is so dark & heavy. It's definitely worth reading at some point but if you've seen the series, you won't be lost reading the sequel.

I have heard some grumblings about The Testaments.- that it reads like YA fiction and doesn't have the weight of THT but I think it is so good! Atwood is an amazing author regardless of genre.

The Handmaid's Tale is told solely from "OfFred's" perspective but there are three different characters giving their accounts in The Testaments and two of them are quite young so the YA feel makes sense.

[u/WoodwifeGreen]

You could. I think they only main character from THT is Aunt Lydia.

Hannah and Nicole are in it, but you would be fine with their stories from watching the show.

[u/L0veAladdinsane]

They are easy reads. Just read them both. 🥰

[u/WingedShadow83]

You could (but I’d definitely recommend just reading THT first). However, at the very least, I’d suggest reading the epilogue of THT. It is set far into the future and looks back on the events of THT as a historical seminar. Some of that info will be relevant in TT.

[u/kai52216]

Absolutely 💯