Reviews

The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader: The Yellow Wallpaper, and Other Fiction by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ann J. Lane

iris_in_bloom's review

reflective medium-paced

4.0

ari767's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

library_brandy's review

3.0

I only read the short stories in this collection, as the rest was all excerpts from novels, and I'd rather read the whole novel. As for the short stories--of which there are 11--at least 8 of them were the same formula: woman is oppressed in her role as wife/mother, woman finds some kind of work that fulfills her, other women cluck disapprovingly while admitting that she may be on to something if it's working for her. They're funny, witty, and engaging at first, but by the fifth iteration of the same basic plot, it's a little wearing.

The standout is still The Yellow Wallpaper, because it really is the best American short story of all time.

yeahdeadslow's review

3.0

(I apologize for this review which was written at midnight by a v. tired me and will probably make little sense to those who haven't read "The Yellow Wallpaper".)

I recently finished writing a literary analysis on "The Yellow Wallpaper" and decided to read the rest of the stories in the book because why not. The rest of the stories didn't do much for me, even though they were almost all about women becoming strong and independent. But I love "The Yellow Wallpaper", especially for the way it's written.

I have a funny story, actually. My wonderful mother, who read the story a couple times in order to help me with my analysis, has finally decided to redo the kitchen. So I turned in my paper on Friday morning and that night I came down the stairs to find my mother had torn off all the wallpaper in the kitchen. Thankfully she has not gone insane. Though the wallpaper was only under the chair rail, so she did have to "creep" around the room on her knees......

Apparently she did make several references to the story while she was pulling off the wallpaper. Even so, she thought it was only coincidence she had decided to do this on this particular day. But the more she thought about it (thanks to my incredulity), the more she realized that perhaps the story had crept into her subconscious and heavily aided her decision.

Maybe I should be concerned. Though there's nothing I can do now... She's pulled off all the paper, so we can't put her back.