The Handmaid's Tale

I read the Handmaid's Tale yesterday, finally. I'm disappointed. I did not like the writing style at all, there was no real story, just descriptions. And then it just ended. No conclusion or anything.

My best guess it's because the TV show was so intense and well made (at least the earlier seasons), and the book was... Not? Episodes would stay with me for days, but I'm struggling to recall the book.

Maybe the book is supposed to be unsatisfying to go with the theme. Nothing much happened after Gilead was created, every day just kinda goes by. Sure there was some torture and death, but... Eh.

Maybe I was expecting too much after all the praise it got. It's my first Atwood book, and way way outside of my usual genre (fantasy, scifi, horror).

I liked it.
I like what the book is aiming for.
While clever, I didn't love the writing style simply because it's not the kind of style that draws you in so you basically experience the events along with the MC, mainly because it is a recounting on events and jumps around all over the show occasionally. This is not a comment on the quality of the writing, or talent. Simply my enjoyment.
That being said, I was constantly reading when I got a moment to find out how things played out.
Interesting re-reading it now and seeing the similarities in the events that led to the regime in the book and what's happening in our own world. While there are technological differences that might affect how such a thing played out, it's still scarily possible.