Fifteen years after The Handmaid's Tale, three narrators, one of them the most feared woman in Gilead, race to bring the regime down.
A faster, funnier and more plot-driven sequel than you might expect, carried by Aunt Lydia's wickedly sharp voice. Uneven in places, and Daisy's chapters lean on convenience, but it is a gripping read. Four out of five.
Every guide comes as a video and a full written article. Pick the one you need: the review is spoiler-free, the ending explained is not.
The complete guide to The Testaments by Margaret Atwood: a full act-by-act summary, every character, the themes, the ending and the 2197 epilogue, plus how the Hulu series differs. Full spoilers.
Is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood worth reading, and do you need to read The Handmaid's Tale first? A spoiler-free review: what it is about, the three narrators, content notes and my score.
The Testaments ending explained: what Aunt Lydia's plan really was, who Daisy is, what happens to Becka and how Gilead falls. Full spoilers.
The Testaments on Hulu: the release date, how many episodes, the full cast, where to watch, season 2 status and every difference from Margaret Atwood's book, with spoilers clearly marked.
Is June in The Testaments? Who are Agnes, Daisy, Aunt Lydia, Commander Judd, Shunammite and Becka, how old are they and how do the three narrators connect? Light spoilers.
The Testaments (2019) is Margaret Atwood’s sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, set in Gilead roughly fifteen years later. It is told by three narrators: Aunt Lydia, the most powerful woman in Gilead; Agnes, a Commander’s daughter; and Daisy, a teenager in Toronto. It shared the 2019 Booker Prize with Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, and a Hulu series based on it began in April 2026.
Content note: the book includes the sexual abuse of a child (not graphic), forced child marriage, suicide attempts, executions, torture and a mob killing. There are no explicit sex scenes.
Below you’ll find a spoiler-free review, the ending explained, a characters guide, a book versus Hulu comparison, and a complete guide to the whole story.
A faster, funnier and more plot-driven sequel than you might expect, carried by Aunt Lydia's wickedly sharp voice. Uneven in places, and Daisy's chapters lean on convenience, but it is a gripping read. Four out of five. Read it if: you loved the handmaid's tale and wanted to know what came next; you like layered narrators and morally grey villains; you want a dystopian story that reads like a thriller; you are curious about the hulu series and want the source. Skip it if: the first book was too bleak for you; you need airtight, realistic plotting; harm to children and abuse are hard lines for you; you want the exact story the hulu series tells. Review: The Testaments →
Our ending explained covers the final chapters in full, with spoilers. The Testaments ending explained: what Aunt Lydia's plan really was, who Daisy is, what happens to Becka and how Gilead falls. Full spoilers. Ending explained: The Testaments →
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, Apologia Pro Vita Sua by John Henry Newman.
The Testaments is Margaret Atwood's 2019 sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Set in Gilead about fifteen years later, it follows three narrators: Aunt Lydia, Agnes and Daisy.
No, the sequel explains Gilead as it goes. But reading the first book helps, because several moments in The Testaments answer questions it left open.
Margaret Atwood wrote it. It was published in 2019 and shared the Booker Prize with Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other.
Amazon links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them.
