Rating: 
Summary: well written, poor themes
Review: We read this book for high school english class. Although it was written beautifully, and at times i could sympathize with Edna's character, i could not help but think she was a bad person by the end of the book. Although she did reach self-actualization, she did so without any responsibility shown towards the people close to her. She cheated on her husband, and then cheated on the man that she was having an affair with with someone else, hardly feeling any guilt for any of it. She also neglected her children, and treated them as if they were antagonists. Although I can understand her plight to become an independant woman and go beyond her society, the way that she attempted this made her a bad person, and she (arguably) failed at her task anyway. Her life, even though she said she was independent, ended when the man she was having an affair with left her. After that, she kills herself. Had she had the courage to separate from her husband (despite her society) and pursue Robert, or even if she didn't get him at the end, but still lived on just as much a woman then before rejection, THEN this book would be feminist. Otherwise its simply immorality disguised as feminism. If a man had done all the things she has in this novel, no one would be arguing whether the character was good or not.besides the problem i had with the themes and plot, it was a very well written book, and i don't agree with it being censored. It was far ahead of it's time, and may be worth a read..Just don't expect too much out of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly out of Sympathy
Review: I read this book as a senior in highschool and I am not going to complain but ... When I began the Awakening, I expected to enjoy it. The opening description of the resort and Loisiana were wonderfully lush - beautiful simple language. But the book was really ruined for me because I could find absolutely no sympathy or even interest in the protagonist. In the end, I felt that she was rather selfish and petty. Her awakening to me wasn't much.
Rating: 
Summary: Awakening To Forbidden Desires
Review: Today this book is a minor classic of American literature and hailed by feminists all over the country. Many women identify with the main character Edna and her lack of fulfillment with marriage and motherhood. It was this and the theme of adultery in the book that enraged conventional Victorian sensibilities when it was published in 1899, occasioning shock and angry response from book reviewers all over America. The book was even taken off some library shelves and the author was barred from the prominent literary club of which she was a member. All of this caused her humiliation. Unfortunately, author Kate Chopin lived to write only one other novel, and died a few years later. By today's standard, "Awakening" is a tame portrayal of the "new woman" who struggles to be free of traditional fetters, traditional roles, to be her own individual, a woman longing to satisfy her hidden dreams and forbidden romantic passions. David Rehak
author of "Love and Madness"
Rating:
Summary: Better than I remember
Review: I've been re-reading many novels and short fiction from the turn of the century and THE AWAKENING was a pleasant surprise. While emotional and sexual liberation have inspired some great artistic works in the last century, Chopin here is refreshing precisely because Edna Pontellier's "awakening" is portrayed as nebulous, ethereal, and above all, inarticulate. Edna is not sure what she is feeling. She knows only that her new feelings of love have no place in her society. Indeed, Chopin shows that for a woman to be awake emotionally at this time in history is to be psychologically isolated and socially estranged. The choices Edna faces are devastating, and so is this slight novel.
Rating:
Summary: the awakening
Review: The Awakening was a book that was way ahead of its time. Kate Chopin's ideas about feminism were new and fresh, although not always popular in 1899. The book is about Edna Pontelliers life. She is trying to find herself. She begins to notice changes in Grand Isle during the summer. She went with her husband and two children. By observation she sees she isn't like the other dedicated wives. She craves her own identity. She begins to fall for a younger man by the name of Robert. He announces that he is unexpectedly going to Mexico. She begins to realize just how much he means to her. Soon she finds herself back at New Orleans. Changes begin to take place. She is not the mother that she once was. Her top priority is herself now. When her husband leaves for a long trip to New York her strange behavior increases. She really gets into art and loves to paint. She leaves randomly at times. Her husband was worried and tried to help with a doctor, he just assumed it was a passing mood. She soon moves out of her large home, to a very small home. She has an affair with a man of the name of Alcee Arobin. She feels sorry though because she knows that she truly loves Robert. While going to a friends home she discovered Robert. They confessed their love for each other. One day after returning from her dying friends home, she finds a letter from Robert that tells her he loves her but he unexpectedly went away again. She was completely devastated. The next day after a night of shock, she walked into the ocean and toward her death.
This book was enjoyable. Edna in some ways had reached some success. The end result was her death which was a tragedy. There was no place in this world for her to belong and be happy. Her awakenings are enlightening and at the same time painful realizations. I like the idea of her becoming a deeper thinker and more independent, but I didn't like her ending her life. I think she could have done something about her life and try to find happiness in different forms. I guess that's why it's a tragedy though. Overall, the book is very entertaining and thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written
Review: I'd say 4.5 stars. The characters are intricately and finely drawn; I found Mademoiselle Reisz especially interesting. As far as its influence on society goes, this short novel is obviously quite significant. Edna Pontellier's desire to revert to a completely child-like view on life is irritating at times, but the way Chopin shaped the plot, I don't find it impossible to empathize with her dilemma. I don't know if this is meant to be its primary focus, but above all I see this book as a love story.
Rating:
Summary: Awakening Review
Review: I was looking forward to reading this book with an online reading group. Being that this book is over 100 years old, its quite a remarkable book for the era it was wrote in. However now it seems petty and the main character Edna seems selfish and boring. The story centers around Edna who is trapped in a marriage to a boring man. She pretty much totally ignores her 2 children. Not to give to much away but in the end she moves out of the house she shared with her husband and children so that she could be her own person. She also has infedilities with 2 men she grows close to. When the man she claims to love, says good-bye she can't deal with it. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt that it was rushed and the author was just looking for a way to end it quickly. Overall I'm glad that I did read it. I may even read it again one day to see if my views on it change.
Rating:
Summary: The Awakening
Review: The Awakening is a book about a woman who's treated terribly by her husband, or like any woman during the time of the 1800's. Leonce Pontellier, her husband, expects her to cook him dinner whether or not he is going to be there to eat it. Once in the book, Leonce expected Edna, who had already in bed asleep, to wake up and speak with him, and take care of their children. When she finally woke up, he had fallen asleep, and left her wide-awake. Women of this time had to love their husbands, be at his beckoned call, and take care of her children. All of Edna's friends do this happily and enjoy their roles in society, but Edna is different. She wants to be an individual, rather than Madame Pontellier, Leonce's wife.
The whole book is about how she changes and becomes more individual as time goes on. Edna starts out dealing with her uneasy feelings. As time goes on, her patience slowly deteriorates, as she becomes careless with her cooking and existence at her home. She admits that she would not give her life for her children, or anyone for that matter. Her passion for another man causes her to grow further apart form her husband. I would recommend this book if one likes spontaneous and unpredictable endings.
Rating:
Summary: The Awakening Review
Review: The way this novel starts out is in Grand Isle, a summer retreat for the wealthy French Creoles of New Orleans. And where a businessmans wife Edna who is the protagonist of the story, finds herself unhappy with her marriage and the way that she lives. So she is seeking a better "love life". Later in the story she becomes suprisingly independent woman, who now lives apart from her children and husband. Edna is married to a man named Leonce Pontellier, who is a wealthy New Orleans businessman. Edna realizes that she is nothing but a trophy to her husband, and that it wasnt ment to be. But yet she loves her children so much, but it doesnt seem like she is involved with them as much as a real mother should be. And another reason for this is her husband doenst treat her like a normal human being, he treats more like a pet. She wants to have personal freedom, but she doesnt want to hurt the children while she is seeking personal fulfillment. Over time her seeking leads her to deep depression, and that does not help her at all. She is good friends with Adele Ratignolle, a married Creole who epitomizes womanly elegance and charm. Later in the story she gets to know Robert Lebrun, who fofills her personal fulfillment. She attends to Robert all summer long. Overall i enjoyed reading this book, at first i didnt like it to much, but as i went on i found it to be very interesting. And the fact that it was written in 1889, it was probably one of the first books to be written about this topic at this time. But u have to follow the book pretty well to understand it, but overall i liked it and i would recomend it to other readers, male or female.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: Honestly when I 1st started reading this book, I really didn't want to read it. (I had choosen it off a list to read for school) However as I continued I was completely taken in by it. I highly recommend this book to anyone. Now I know why it is considered to be a classic.
|
