No, ‘The Handmaid's Tale' Series Is Not Shockingly Timely

We are all necessarily prisoners of our own place and time, and thus, I was in my youth necessarily a fan of "The Handmaid's Tale." I read it; I discussed it very earnestly with like-minded friends; I copied author Margaret Atwood's muted style and dystopian preoccupations in my own, less competent fiction.But that youth has fled, alas; it has been two decades since I last picked up my copy of the book. Even that copy -- paperback, dog-eared and water-stained and threatening to come apart at the spine -- has been left behind somewhere, presumably the same place I lost my velvet chokers and Suzanne Vega CDs.However, a new television show has been made out of the book, and is attracting rave reviews, less for its acting, script or stunning visuals than for its "unexpectedly timely" message.Nonsense.  Continue reading...