The Testaments

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The Testaments: Episode 1

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Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 - The Testaments, Episode 1

Margaret Atwood’s powerful and much-anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

Margaret Atwood’s powerful and hugely anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale picks up 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown. Now shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

In this brilliant and long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the questions that have tantalised readers for decades.

In The Testaments, set fifteen years after the events of her dystopian masterpiece, the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. Now the testimonies of three different women bring the story to a dramatic conclusion. Today we hear from the infamous Aunt Lydia, and Agnes, a young girl who has only known life in Gilead.

‘Dear Readers: Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.' Margaret Atwood

‘The literary event of the year.’ Guardian


Writer: Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books, including novels such as Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid's Tale, went back into the bestseller charts with the election of Donald Trump, when the Handmaids became a symbol of resistance against the disempowerment of women, and with the 2017 release of the award-winning Channel 4 TV series. 
Reader: Sara Kestelman, Katherine Press
Abridger: Katrin Williams
Producer: Justine Willett

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Margaret Atwood's powerful and hugely-anticipated sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.

Margaret Atwood's powerful and hugely-anticipated sequel to The Handmaid's Tale picks up 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown.

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