The Handmaid's Tale author gives her verdict on Kylie Jenner's themed birthday bash

Kylie Jenner copped a lot of criticism for hosting The Handmaid's Tale themed party she hosted in June. Photo / Instagram

Margaret Atwood has shared her opinion about Kylie's controversial The Handmaids' Tale-themed birthday bash.

Jenner decided to host the themed birthday party for her friend Anastasia Karanikolau because the Hulu television series adaptation was her "favourite show ever."

Speaking to New York Magazine about her critically acclaimed dystopian novel, 80-year-old Atwood explained she didn't know who Kylie Jenner was prior to the party she hosted.

Author of The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood has shared what she thought about Kylie Jenner's themed party. Photo / Supplied

"My readers deal with those things, they notice them before I do," she explained.

The 22-year-old was heavily criticised on social media for hosting the themed event, accusing the star of being ignorant of the novel's themes of oppression and rape.

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One person wrote at the time: "Kylie Jenner is having a party themed after the Handmaid's Tale...so....who's going to tell her that her party is literally celebrating female enslavement for their biological reproduction?"

The author carefully explained her feelings about the birthday bash, and was understanding of Jenner's point of view.

"I expect Kylie heard from some of them along the lines of 'we appreciate the thought, but you kind of missed it."

"People often do this in a very well-meaning way; they're not trying to be unpleasant."

Someone who was not so understanding of the party was actor Bradley Whitford, who plays Joseph Lawrence on the show.

He told CBS in June that he thought the party seemed "a little tacky," and that the Handmaid's Tale costumes Jenner and her friends wore missed the point of what the show was trying to portray.

"You know, that costume is kind of iconic, and it's interesting how it's changed from a symbol of oppression - to now, as the show is moving ahead to a symbol of resistance."

Atwood released The Testaments, the sequel to the 1985 novel in September this year.