The Testaments

The Testaments
Cover of the first edition
AuthorMargaret Atwood
Audio read byAnn Dowd[1]
Bryce Dallas Howard[1]
Mae Whitman[1]
Derek Jacobi[1]
Tantoo Cardinal[1]
Margaret Atwood[1]
Cover artistNoma Bar / Dutch Uncle
LanguageEnglish
GenreSpeculative fiction, Dystopian fiction
PublisherMcClelland & Stewart (Canada)
Nan A. Talese (US)
Chatto & Windus (UK)
Publication date
September 10, 2019
Publication placeCanada
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages432
ISBN978-0-385-54378-1
813.54
LC ClassPR9199.3.A8
Preceded byThe Handmaid's Tale 

The Testaments is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale (1985).[2] The novel is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead; and Daisy, a young woman living in Canada.[3]

The Testaments was a joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, alongside Bernardine Evaristo's novel Girl, Woman, Other.[4] It was also voted 'Best Fiction' novel in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019, winning by over 50,000 votes.[5]

Streaming service Hulu, which also produces the TV series adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, announced in 2022 that The Testaments will also become a TV series after The Handmaid's Tale's final season concludes. Actress Ann Dowd will reprise her role as Aunt Lydia.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Rubins, Jennifer (September 10, 2019). "Watch THE TESTAMENTS audiobook narrators (including Aunt Lydia herself) discuss Margaret Atwood". Books on Tape. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  2. ^ Stelter, Brian (November 18, 2018). "Margaret Atwood is writing a 'Handmaid's Tale' sequel". CNN. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  3. ^ Grady, Constance (2019-09-04). "Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale sequel is a giddy thrill ride". Vox. Archived from the original on 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  4. ^ Flood, Alison (2019-10-14). "Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo share Booker prize 2019". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
  5. ^ Quill, Kara (December 11, 2019). "These are the top 20 books of 2019, according to Goodreads users". Today. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.