I did my first cover roulette post a little while ago for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and it was so fun I wanted to do another! Luckily I found another popular book that has had many different editions made, and I wondered…
What other awesome covers have I missed?
Tonight’s book is one I have, somehow, still not read. It’s been on my shelf since I was in high school. It’s now a tv mini series (or something like that?). I even read the graphic novel recently, which ultimately just made me think I should really read the original. Well, before I get to The Handmaid’s Tale, lets take a look at some of the covers!
The Cover I Know
Okay, to be honest, part of why I probably never ended up reading this when I was younger was because this dowdy cover was next to flashy shiny ones with dragons and magic on my bookshelf. And, let’s be real, that’s still the case. But I’ll still read this… eventually. ☺
2004 Italian: Seductive, of course
Can Italy make anything that isn’t some shade of suggestive? Maybe it’s the position, the hand, the soft lighting, the red that blends in with her skin… I don’t love this one though. It feels like a punk rock narrative dealing with drug abuse.
2017 Bulgarian: simple and effective
The popular silhouette is used here, and of course the poppin’ red color. This is the lucky girl who got pregnant, evidently.
2005 French: Dark & Dramatic
And the French cover is great!! It looks perfectly cult-y and creepy, and I love it. Expert use of the shading here.
2018 Romanian: Scary Shadows
I like this one because it sets the story up pretty clearly with the soldier lurking in the shadows. The woman titling her head, suspecting he’s there, but unable to actually see with her weird cone bonnet. Solid!
1993 Estonian: What.
This….. is weird. This looks like it would be an artistic study of a woman (or man?) overcoming hurdles to find themselves through their passion for music. Which… yeah, is pretty much what The Handmaid’s Tale is about, right?
2017 Hungarian: War-Style Creep
By which I mean that this seems innocuous enough, but the coloring and fade make it seem a lot more somber than it otherwise would. And it’s clearly a uniform being shown, with the careful folding. I approve.
2017 Thai: MY FAVE!
OH, the gorgeous yet efficient line designs!! Okay, yup, this is the edition that will make me finally pick it up and read it. First: to learn Thai…
1990 English: Aging Itself
Oh, the late 1980s are clear here. I’m actually very curious to see how this movie was though, as it’s really hard for me to picture it having the correct gravitas with Faye Dunaway starring. (No offense, Faye!)
2017 Korean: ♥
Yes, I’m a little biased towards all things Korean. But also, this cover is gorgeous. It’s attractive while still getting the creep-factor across with the rows of uniformed ladies.
Which one’s your favorite?
Common themes are definitely the silhouette of the Maids, and the significant red color. This one’s a little different than my other posts since this book was published a while ago. Some covers are totally out there, some are too gorgeous to accurately reflect the story, but all cover the same words within (albeit in different languages).
My Book Joy 
Hungarian, Thai, Korean ones are my favs!
That 1990 one looks like some bizarre romcom or something 🤣
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Haha right?? It definitely does not look like it would match the story
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