Reviews with content warning for Rape - Wide Sargasso Sea

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

6 reviews

simonmh's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Really amazing book. It’s a prequel of sorts to Jane Eyre, showing the life of Mr. Rochester’s wife Bertha before she was locked in the attic and written off as mentally ill.

It’s a great premise, but the book lives up to the premise. It’s a short read, but the portrayal of both Antoinette and Mr. Rochester feels very thorough as you see their mental states change. The portrayal of the natural environment is also vivid and even reading it in winter, I could feel the heat and humidity of the Caribbean.

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pippagrace's review

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dark emotional reflective

2.5

Read as part of a college course. I understood the poignancy but genuinely had no clue what was going on for half of the narrative. The writing was beautiful and the descriptions vivid, and simultaneously had no coherent plot that I could make out.

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mercedes's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

3.0

Wow, this book gets a lot of hate! I can sort of understand. Coming straight from <i>Jane Eyre</i> to this, there is certainly a stark contrast in the writing styles and ambience of the story, and at points I kept having to remind myself it was taking place in the early 19th century. However, the writing itself felt so unique - it's at its strongest when describing the luxuriant, tropical surroundings of Coulibri and Massacre.

Some common criticisms I see popping up in most negative reviews of this book is that it is confusing and makes no sense, and I have to say that this was not my personal experience with the book. I didn't think it was that difficult to follow along with the story, and while the flow of the book is definitely not typical, it works for a novel about two very lost characters. I don't think I could have asked for more from this book and it works excellently for what it is.

(Minor spoilers for Wide Sargasso Sea, spoilers for Jane Eyre)

One aspect I really loved was the call-back to the parrot at Coulibri. Just as the parrot had its wings clipped by Antoinette's stepfather, so did Antoinette have her wings clipped by Rochester - and both have the same fate, falling to their death surrounded by flames. The fire at Coulibri really affected me when I was reading the book and the fact that it was prophesising Antoinette's own fate made it all the more striking.

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