I had never read this and understand why it is beloved. I really enjoyed the book a lot. I think it is inventive and the pacing is excellent. I appreciated the world building and roll out of all that was going on in Gilead. The ending was so annoying that it went from being a top tier read to a solid book. I just couldn't get down with the way Atwood had to show her work for the last 10 pages. It was no needed and took away from what she had accomplished with the first 300 pages.