The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE is a chilling novel set in a dystopia of the not-so-distant future. British actress Joanna David's reading is unwavering but perhaps too chilly even for this story. Her choice not to give unique voices to the characters is appropriate, especially since the narrative is set in a dehumanized world where individual expression is not tolerated. She does deliver many of the dramatic scenes effectively. But there are too many occasions where she seems to miss Atwood's irony and other textual cues, and the listener is sometimes shortchanged by her misinterpretation. D.B. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine