It's hard to rewrite Jane Austen and do it with justice and just plain well. This book was better than most, but still, I had a hard time incorporating the Middle East/Pakistan influence in the book. Part of has to do with the period, the early 2000s which are a different Pakistan than the one most of the World's observes on the television and in news articles. Pakistan, historically/culturally, has been more Indian/Asian than Middle Eastern, so most of the book reflects that, but I had to keep reminding myself that while reading.

The characters that we are supposed to dislike are the only characters that are Isalm-following and its to poke fun of rather than explore the religious bent that would have made the book more interesting.

It was okay. I am stuck indoors with the #seattlesnowpocalypse, and it was a nice distraction, but it was making me want to watch Bride and Prejudice, the Bollywood film, and even the 1995 BBC's version while reading this version.

I had to ponder for a day. I read it in two sittings.

While all the characters were well-rounded, the main female, Greer, was not. Greer didn't grow, she was stagnant throughout the whole story and only reacted to plot changes, she didn't create them. Greer didn't move the story forward, all the other characters did. When life happened to them and when they made decisions to affect their lives, she was only a bystander that reacted. She did grow within the last twenty pages of the book but seemed like Wolitzer realized that the character was not interesting and quickly gave her a realistic HEA.

I guess, in a way, I relate to that, sometimes life is reactions, not creations.

I am torn between 2 or 3 stars because this book is not essential. It wasn't needed and didn't add anything to The Handmaid's Tale. I only enjoyed Aunt Lydia's narration, and the other two narrators did not surprise me in any way and felt their storylines were weak and, if anything, did not help Gilead at all.

I read this directly after rereading The Handmaid's Tale, so that was fresh in my mind. She should have stopped or just have had Aunt Lydia's story. This book shouldn't be called a sequel.