Charlotte > Recent Status Updates

I'll never understand why social workers ask kids what's going on in front of their potentially abusive parents/guardians. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why that might not be the best idea.

This dad is terrible.

Really, it took them a whole year of this before they decided to do anything? They clearly knew what was happening, otherwise the principal wouldn't have made a conscious effort not to call his mum. Did nobody else's parents say anything? Like, once maybe

Well, I'm going to cry now. The last words to Becca destroyed me. Also, it's so cool that the epilogue is essentially a follow up to The Handmaid's Tale's epilogue

One last Lydia section, which made me feel very seen. Also, Becca continues to be a sweetheart. I'm glad Jade does care about her after all.

Aunt Lydia really woke up her rival just to tell her to go back to sleep again. Legend. Shame I get the feeling we won't see her again. Her last line really felt like an ending. Also, poor Becca. So proud of her, but so sad. Surely there could have been another way. I wonder if she actually intended for things to happen that way or if she was just trying to hide. I think it was an actual sacrifice, but I'm not sure

Slight issue with listening through the audiobook. Sometimes when the girls are switching back and forth very quickly in dialogue, its hard to tell who's who. I honestly thought Agnus was the one who swore for a brief moment, which actually would have been a pretty good character moment.

Okay, Jade is a lot easier to deal in her own section, so maybe its the way Agnus's VA voices her that bugs me. I'm glad people in North Gilead don't care much for the eyes because those weather pun based codes could have gone super wrong. I don't think Aunt Lydia is surviving this. She's the only one not writing after the fact and the segment is called The Wall, a place frequently referred to as a place of execution

I don't know if it's just the way Agnus writes (and the way her VA voices her, since I'm listening to the audiobook, hence why the events I write about might be on the wrong pages) but I'm really starting to dislike Jade. I know she's only 15/16, but still, she's going to get people killed

Daisy/Jade's (I think I'm going to switch to referring to her as Jade, the book mostly is now) continued survival is literally just luck at this point. I'm really interested to see why Lydia mentioned Nicole to Jud, when she's fully planning on taking this whole thing down. Also "we all agree Gilead's intentions started pure', um no Aunt Lydia I'm not sure we do

Daisy, for the love of God shut up. You're going to get yourself killed. I mean you're writing this from the future so I guess not, but you're going to get SOMEONE killed. Also, the phrase particution is funny to me. It shouldn't be, but it is

Under this world's logic I'd be Aunt Loreal. I think we're really getting to the root of this story's concept now. It's a religious society, ruled by the word of God. Except its not. Not when you look at it in depth. "God is not what they tell you". That's why the bibles are locked away

I like how all these stories are interconnecting. I think everyone is writing about the same period now. I think it still mathematically makes sense for Agnus to be Hannah (I'm not sure of the timeline for Handmaids Tale), presuming Nicole is June's kid like she is in the show. I guess I'll find out in this half of the book since everybody is in the same time period and finding these things out

Are there no rules regarding who children get placed with? Because it sounds like the dentist (I keep forgetting his name) has been up to this for a really long time Props to Aunt Lydia though, queen of playing the system. This book keeps making me like her and I really don't know how to feel about that. Which is probably the point

Marrying a guy who's probably a murderer at 13? All good. Handing out leaflets in Canada? You've got to be in your twenties before we even think about letting you do that. I love how Lydia saw this potential marriage and was like 'I think not, idiots'. Did Becca break it up to her? Also, Paula definitely killed her first husband. Not sure why, but she totally did

Wait, ANOTHER suicide attempt from the school. As in this is a regular occurrence? And they STILL don't think they should maybe change their approach? But yes Aunt Lydia, protect Becca at all costs. And keep Commander Jud away from Agnus I'm begging you

What actually is the plan here? This sounds incredibly dangerous

Please let the inside source be Lydia. I know it's very unlikely, but I would love it if it was here. Plus, she's the only one writing when these events are taking place. Agnus and Daisy are both writing after the fact (well I guess it's not entirely clear when Agnus is writing, but it's after the events of her own story have taken place)

Commander Jud is a creep and I hope he somehow ends up dead by the end of this book. I'm not holding out hope for it though. At least Aunt Lydia managed to take some power away from him. I wouldn't be surprised if that had saved a few lives.

Somebody help Becca please. This poor girl deserves so much better

Goodness, they're going to marry her off at 13? I thought she was at least 16 (which still wouldn't be great, but a little better I guess). I find it interesting that the 'perfect teeth' comment from the match makers was the same as the comment the perv dentist made. I wonder if that was intentional. I expect it was.

Also Commander Jud is definitely poisoning his wives right? No way are deaths natural.

I'm not sure what's more disturbing, the fact that the dentist did what he did or the fact that Agnus thinks that would be considered normal elsewhere. It seems more normalised in Gilead. They just don't talk about it. Also, it's so sad that her memories of her dad stay blank. If I'm right about who this is, wasn't she five when she was taken? Surely she'd remember something about her parents

I kind of like the idea that your mother is the one who loves you most and that a person can have multiple mothers who care about them (even if the circumstances in this case are really messed up)