The Awakening (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels)

…to Amazon!, for recommending this book. Most regrettably, until Amazon suggested her book, I had never heard of Kate Chopin. If she is to be labeled, she is a southern American female writer, and I have long been fond of the works of Carson McCullers and Eudora Welty. She also attracts the “feminist” label. This work was first published in 1899, twenty years after Ibsen’s A Doll's House (Dover Thrift Editions) and thirty years before Virginia Wolfe’s A Room of One's Own. I believe Amazon’s “algorithm” recommended this work based on my recent re-read of Ibsen’s classic, in Kindle version.The novel commences on Grand Isle, Louisiana, one of the outer most barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a summer resort, established and hosted by Madame Lebrun for the “gratin” of New Orleans society. Edna Pontellier, and her husband, Leonce, are honored guests. They have two young children. The children are tended to by an individual whose label is now rather quaint, if not entirely obsolete, as in, thrown into the “dust bin of history”: a quadroon. Edna is 28, from Kentucky blue-grass country, and a bit of an outsider in what is admittedly, French society. In fact, the toing and froing of the seemingly “idle rich” is rather Proustian. By slow degree, Chopin depicts a souring marriage, like so many, as follows: “She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinking, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us.” Sounds like a nexus between “Is this all there is to life?” and “laying back and thinking of the Empire”. A woman’s strong intuition into the affairs of the human heart is demonstrated. And, sure ‘nuf, another man becomes involved, Robert, one of the sons of Madame Lebrun. Chopin does “nuance”; there are no black or white characters, and the action evolves in a non-stereotypical way. In short, a good read, with a jolting ending that foreshadows the much latter demise of Virginia Wolfe herself.It is a “meaty” novel, full of insight, and longer than the 74 pages indicated in the description. I double-checked my Kindle version, and it shows four or five pages with the same page number. If this came from a print version, the face type must have been very small. And a note about the reviews of two other Amazon reviewers, in the USA listing. As I have grown to expect, the lead review is another excellent one by Roger Brunyate giving the work 5-stars. Far more surprisingly, the 1-star, by Ben G., on “The Dangers of Self-Centeredness” is cogent and quite reasonable, simply from a very different perspective. Think it is the very first time that two quite divergent reviews, in terms of the book’s rating, have been worthwhile reads. Is it an “awaking” to one’s own self, or simply dangerous narcissism?The last 20% of this edition is eight short stories. All too often, in cases like this, the stories can range from mediocre to out-right “filler.” Not so in this case. Almost all are succinct and powerful, as well as being thematically varied. One is on a civil war battlefield, and deals with mistaken identity in the “fog of war.” Another concerns two sisters, camped out beside the ruins of their mansion, which they are obsessed with rebuilding, after it having been destroyed by Union troops. Another concerns that wonderful and terrible power by which “one drop” of black blood makes the entire person black. And there is the transformative power of a simple pair of silk stockings to a woman’s sense of herself and place in society. Written in 1899! An enduring theme.The French influence, particularly in southern Louisiana, and along the Mississippi River, permeates Chopin’s writings. In fact, there are numerous sentences of untranslated French in her work. Though I spent some time working in northern Louisiana in the early ‘70’s, the history and development of the French influence in the state – the only one with political boundaries designated as “parishes,” remains rather fussy, and so I decided to partially correct that deficiency by reading Wordsworth’s epic poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie (Classic Reprint)in the near future. As for “The Awaking,” 5-stars

I first read The Awakening in high school or early college, many many years ago. I'm sure it was over my head and beyond my life experience at that time. I likely read it because I thought it may contain explicit steamy love scenes! It does not. Or maybe it is steamy for 1899. To me, the marvel of this book is that it was published in 1899. A feminist novella indeed!The Awakening is the story of wealthy and unhappy Edna Pontellier. She lives in New Orleans though the story opens when she is vacationing on the Louisiana coast with her husband and their two young sons. Her husband is portrayed as a stuffy bore and the children as always wanting something. At the summer resort she meets a variety of people. Her close friend is very conventional, pregnant again, and would sacrifice anything for her children. Another female vacationer is a pianist and an unconventional single woman. She offers an alternative view of life for a woman. Edna falls in love with the resort owner's flirtatious son Robert Lebrun. When she returns to her daily life in New Orleans, Edna is despondent. She misses Robert and she is unhappy being a wife and mother. She tries to carve out some independence with her painting. When her husband leaves on an extended business trip, she has an affair with a notorious womanizer. She ends the affair on her own terms. Still unhappy and unfulfilled, she rents a small house which she intends to live in on her own. Her husband is appalled, but he is mainly concerned about appearances. In a move worthy of today's best spin doctors, he makes arrangements to renovate their house in order to explain his wife living elsewhere. In the meantime, Robert returns, sparks fly, and he leaves again. Edna returns to the coast alone.That is a lot of story in a short book. The writing is descriptive and evocative without being too flowery. The real power is in the main character daring to defy a woman's prescribed role. She tries to assert herself in small ways, but becomes bolder when this does not work. There is a great scene when Edna decides to sleep outside in a hammock. Her husband orders her in the house. When she refuses, he sits on the porch with her all night. He drinks wine and smokes cigars while she tries to sleep. It is a great example of the passive-aggressive behavior that occurs in most marriages at some point. I noticed that some reviewers do not like the character of Edna. She is not particularly likable, but neither are any of the other characters in this book. She is an unhappy woman who does not like society's rules. She has very few options and makes a lot of blunders along the way. The book really resonated with me at this time in my life and also at this time in our social and political climate. I'm so glad I re-read this!

Libro molto carino, piacevole e veloce lettura, in meno di due giorni si riesce a finire il libro.

Pésima pésima edición, de vdd una porqueria. !

There are a few errors with spelling, grammar, formatting in this edition (not Chopin’s fault, but the editor’s).As for the content - WOW.Incredibly eye-opening and insightful. Every bit as relevant for women today as when it was originally written.Even if you’re not interested in feminist writing, I think this is a great book for all readers. It is a good examination of how the psyche can be affected by societal norms and expectations and our desire to be free from such things. Even though I don’t suffer quite the same way as Edna, I was encouraged to do some introspection and change my perspective on myself.I recommend this to anyone, regardless of race, gender, sex, socioeconomic status, etc.... Everyone can benefit from Edna’s struggle to be her true self, not what society expects her to be.

I had discover this book because I studied it during my courses. I’m really surprised that I never heard about it before! For her time Kate Chopin was a real revolutionary, she breaks all the woman conventions and doesn’t hesitate to show us a new type of woman! It’s not really long to read, I think everyone should read it. It’s a great leçon.

I've read this book as part of a literature appreciation course. I'd heard of neither the author or the book so it really was an unknown commodity.The book is 220 pages split into 39 chapters. Also worth noting that this version uses a fairly large font and has notes on the pages so no searching at the back of the book.There is a brief introduction to the author but no detailed analysis of the novel. This was very pleasing as I really love to read a classic novel without having been told how I should be enjoying it.The plot is great - it deals with society, class, feminism, expectations, marriage, motherhood and many other issues. All wrapped together with many small vignettes of moments in time. This author was primarily a short story writer and this becomes very clear when reading this book as you can see that many of the small chapters could almost stand alone as short stories.Edna is wonderful as a heroine, she is full of flaws but manages to hold herself above the other characters whilst not being afraid to display her weaknesses.It's a complex situation and there are some huge decisions to be made. Kate Chopin shows the reader what is happening without ever judging the characters or patronising the reader. The reader can judge Edna but such judgements would be foolish without taking time to try to understand her.This tale is still very relevant today although it not as shocking as it probably was in 1899.