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svetlanasterlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
“I’m jealous of your thoughts tonight. They’re making you a little kinder than usual.”
duarshe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Before saying anything I have to clarify that this review is focused on <i>The Awakening</i> alone, since I've not been able to get through all of the short stories yet and what I had to read for class was the novella. So because the rest of the stories were not mandatory I will just review what I needed to read and once I've read everything I'll make an edit or I'll update if my review has changed.
To be honest I think <i>The Awakening</i> has been one of the most enjoyable readings that I've had to read for class this year so far (together with <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>). Like with any other classic that I read I listened to an audiobook to go faster (since I'm always way behind schedule and need to finish everything ASAP, day in the life of a procrastinator). However, with Kate Chopin's novella I found myself many times pausing the audiobook and reading by myself to enjoy more what the narrator was telling, because I didn't want to skip any details. I love everything that this story has to tell and say, and the important message that it carries, so liberating and awakening (see what I did there?). It was neither too long, nor too ornamented with complicated words and sentences.
I guess the only thing left for me to say is: beware Alcée Arobin, I'm coming for your stupid ass, I don't like you.
To be honest I think <i>The Awakening</i> has been one of the most enjoyable readings that I've had to read for class this year so far (together with <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i>). Like with any other classic that I read I listened to an audiobook to go faster (since I'm always way behind schedule and need to finish everything ASAP, day in the life of a procrastinator). However, with Kate Chopin's novella I found myself many times pausing the audiobook and reading by myself to enjoy more what the narrator was telling, because I didn't want to skip any details. I love everything that this story has to tell and say, and the important message that it carries, so liberating and awakening (see what I did there?). It was neither too long, nor too ornamented with complicated words and sentences.
I guess the only thing left for me to say is: beware Alcée Arobin, I'm coming for your stupid ass, I don't like you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
saritaroth's review against another edition
3.0
Favorite Quote Of The Book - "For the first time she recognized the symptoms of infatuation which she had felt incipiently as a child, as a girl in her earliest teens, and later as a young woman. The recognition did not lessen the reality, the poignancy of the revelation by any suggestion or promise of instability. The past was nothing to her; offered no lesson which she was willing to heed. The future was a mystery which she never attempted to penetrate. The present alone was significant; was hers, to torture her as it was doing then with the biting conviction that she had lost that which she had held, that she had been denied that which her impassioned, newly awakened being demanded.”
I read this book at my son's urging; he didn't much care for it, but he still thought I should read it. I have to say that the language that the author used is superb; it was difficult to pick only one favorite quote, but I thought that the above quote fully encompassed the awakening of Edna Pontellier's senses, which is really mainly what the book was about.
Kate Chopin's The Awakening begins with a vacation at the beach and centers around Edna Pontellier, a housewife who is feeling oppressed by her husband and her lot in life. She falls in love with a Creole man named Robert LeBrun, but he then leaves her briefly, and she lapses into despair. She then has a brief dalliance with Alcee Arobin at which time Robert returns and stays for a short time before departing again, presumably more permanently, leaving Edna with only a note, saying, "I love you. Good-by--because I love you." This abandonment causes Edna to fall even more deeply into despair.
Although the writing itself was outstanding, I am only giving the book three stars because nothing much happened. It was frankly boring; I know it is considered a classic, but not all books, even classics, are for everyone. And this book just wasn't for me.
It is worth noting that it was also made into a movie entitled Grand Isle, named after the beach that the protagonist visited. It starred Kelly McGillis, Adrian Pasdar, and Ellen Burstyn. Unfortunately, there was another movie with the same name starring Nicolas Cage, although it does not have the same storyline. I was able to find the Nicolas Cage movie to watch, but I was unsuccessful in tracking down the other. Therefore, I had to content myself with only reading the book, writing my review, and detailing my rating accordingly.
I read this book at my son's urging; he didn't much care for it, but he still thought I should read it. I have to say that the language that the author used is superb; it was difficult to pick only one favorite quote, but I thought that the above quote fully encompassed the awakening of Edna Pontellier's senses, which is really mainly what the book was about.
Kate Chopin's The Awakening begins with a vacation at the beach and centers around Edna Pontellier, a housewife who is feeling oppressed by her husband and her lot in life. She falls in love with a Creole man named Robert LeBrun, but he then leaves her briefly, and she lapses into despair. She then has a brief dalliance with Alcee Arobin at which time Robert returns and stays for a short time before departing again, presumably more permanently, leaving Edna with only a note, saying, "I love you. Good-by--because I love you." This abandonment causes Edna to fall even more deeply into despair.
Although the writing itself was outstanding, I am only giving the book three stars because nothing much happened. It was frankly boring; I know it is considered a classic, but not all books, even classics, are for everyone. And this book just wasn't for me.
It is worth noting that it was also made into a movie entitled Grand Isle, named after the beach that the protagonist visited. It starred Kelly McGillis, Adrian Pasdar, and Ellen Burstyn. Unfortunately, there was another movie with the same name starring Nicolas Cage, although it does not have the same storyline. I was able to find the Nicolas Cage movie to watch, but I was unsuccessful in tracking down the other. Therefore, I had to content myself with only reading the book, writing my review, and detailing my rating accordingly.
listentomarlo's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
jskells's review against another edition
4.0
solid 4.25
The Awakening was a 3.75 for me, but there were other short stories in this collection that pack a punch, especially for the time of publishing (late 1800s). Themes of women wanting freedom from marriage and societal expectations, a mother's responsibilities vs. her wants/needs, and how culture shapes our lives. I'll be returning to these short stories in the future.
The Awakening was a 3.75 for me, but there were other short stories in this collection that pack a punch, especially for the time of publishing (late 1800s). Themes of women wanting freedom from marriage and societal expectations, a mother's responsibilities vs. her wants/needs, and how culture shapes our lives. I'll be returning to these short stories in the future.
bluemaiden's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
mimmaz's review against another edition
4.0
Chopin’s prose is so rich and sensitive. I was sort of shocked (pleasantly!) by the blatant sexual imagery—especially because it was centered on female pleasure. I think that Chopin is able to write so clearly about topics like sex and mental illness because there really wasn’t language for it, at least in regards to oneself. Really touching read.
That being said: I was tabbing every instance of black characters being relegated to domestic service or demeaned (for essay purposes) and I ran out of tabs. None of this to say that Edna doesn’t “deserve” to liberate herself—just that it’s interesting to note that she can hand her burden off to them and not feel hypocritical.
That being said: I was tabbing every instance of black characters being relegated to domestic service or demeaned (for essay purposes) and I ran out of tabs. None of this to say that Edna doesn’t “deserve” to liberate herself—just that it’s interesting to note that she can hand her burden off to them and not feel hypocritical.
thrushnightingale's review against another edition
3.0
"There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in. And she found it good to dream and to be alone and unmolested.
There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why,—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. She could not work on such a day, nor weave fancies to stir her pulses and warm her blood."
There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why,—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. She could not work on such a day, nor weave fancies to stir her pulses and warm her blood."
elibrary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are many things I likes about The Awakening, but several I didn’t. While some of the prose was strong, much felt unnecessary. I appreciated the look into the lives of white women in this particular time, I didn’t love the book entirely.
slichto3's review
2.0
This was a chore for me. It's probably because I'm dumb, but that's who I am. I had a difficulty getting engaged in the stories and characters in this book. The stories were tough because the prose often lost me. I think I need more practice reading classics. The characters lost me because I couldn't understand them. They seemed petulant with little reason.
The Awakening and Selected Stories is a compilation of stories. The longest of these is called The Awakening. The Awakening is about a young married woman named Edna Pontellier. She falls in love with another man. This man moves away, because he realizes he's falling in love with Edna. Then Edna determines that she's not happy being married. She grows more and more distant from her husband, then kind of moves away and ghosts him. Meanwhile, she has an affair with another man and sort of enjoys her bachelorhood.
You can probably tell that I wasn't too sympathetic to Edna. I just felt that her motivations either didn't make sense or were incredibly selfish. Her husband wasn't really a bad guy, but she treated him like shit. She could have at least tried to communicate with him, but instead she just blew him off. I guess I can understand how frustrated women must have felt in marriage at the time. It really was a cage, and it seems like it would be really tough to have a satisfactory identity under those circumstances. But the book didn't communicate that! Instead, I had to try to reason it out for myself. Further, the book doesn't really make clear what she really wants to do. The other men that she's with seem pretty crappy. She becomes a painter, but doesn't seem to really care about it. I just don't get the character, so I didn't get the story. I understand that the situation for women really sucked, and that this was a novel attempt to show this, but... ugh, it felt ineffective.
I enjoyed the other short stories more, but, after reading The Awakening, I just wanted to get this book over with. Still, they are incisive and have some twists and engaging moments. My mind still wandered quite a bit while reading, but if you're more disciplined than me, you'll probably get more out of it.
On the whole, I wouldn't recommend this book. I felt that Madame Bovary was similar but much, much more affecting. Still, if you think I'm dumb, I'd love to hear what you think.
The Awakening and Selected Stories is a compilation of stories. The longest of these is called The Awakening. The Awakening is about a young married woman named Edna Pontellier. She falls in love with another man. This man moves away, because he realizes he's falling in love with Edna. Then Edna determines that she's not happy being married. She grows more and more distant from her husband, then kind of moves away and ghosts him. Meanwhile, she has an affair with another man and sort of enjoys her bachelorhood.
You can probably tell that I wasn't too sympathetic to Edna. I just felt that her motivations either didn't make sense or were incredibly selfish. Her husband wasn't really a bad guy, but she treated him like shit. She could have at least tried to communicate with him, but instead she just blew him off. I guess I can understand how frustrated women must have felt in marriage at the time. It really was a cage, and it seems like it would be really tough to have a satisfactory identity under those circumstances. But the book didn't communicate that! Instead, I had to try to reason it out for myself. Further, the book doesn't really make clear what she really wants to do. The other men that she's with seem pretty crappy. She becomes a painter, but doesn't seem to really care about it. I just don't get the character, so I didn't get the story. I understand that the situation for women really sucked, and that this was a novel attempt to show this, but... ugh, it felt ineffective.
I enjoyed the other short stories more, but, after reading The Awakening, I just wanted to get this book over with. Still, they are incisive and have some twists and engaging moments. My mind still wandered quite a bit while reading, but if you're more disciplined than me, you'll probably get more out of it.
On the whole, I wouldn't recommend this book. I felt that Madame Bovary was similar but much, much more affecting. Still, if you think I'm dumb, I'd love to hear what you think.