Rating: 
Summary: Vivid and engaging
Review: "The Awakening," while not as controversial or scandalous today as it was when first released, is still relevant to modern life. The protangonist, Edna Pontellier, is a great example of a strong female character. She is not yet thirty, but tied down with the responsibilities and burdens of marriage and motherhood. Mrs. Pontellier must choose between her husband and lover, but - in an ending that will shock you - ultimately chooses neither and sacrifices everything for her independence. Edna Pontellier's journey from an ideal wife and mother to an independent woman is totally engaging. The characters she ecnounters along the way each have a story to tell, and a set of problems of their own. From the eccentric spinster Mademoiselle Reisz to Edna's baffled husband, each character adds a certain something to the plot. Edna's journey and awakening are not merely emotional, but also physical. She travels from the Gulf of Mexico, with its sultry heat and sandy beaches, to the more refined streets of New Orleans. The author relies heavily on imagery to create Edna's world, and the setting is so realistic and vivid that it practically leaps off the pages. This novel is a quick, fairly easy read. You probably won't find it shocking or sexy, but it has subtly sensual undertones. It is an excellent examination of adultery, responsibility, the roles of women, and society in general. "The Awakening" is a classic.
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Summary: The Awakening
Review: Kate Chopin's novel 'The Awakening' is a clear portrayal of a woman's sexual and spiritual awakening. Chopin shows the transofmation of Edna Ponterllier, a young wife and mother who-with tragic consequence-refuses to be caged by married and domestic life and claims for herself moral and erotic freedom. I very much enjoyed this book, because it intends to show that a twenty-eight year-old woman's desire to break herself free from societal confinements, with little experience, is possible.
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Summary: Important women's text
Review: The original title of this story was "A Solitary Soul" and that is where we miss Edna's "Awakening" if we aren't careful. Is this a feminist manifesto, or something about a certain kind of person? What is solitude, and what happens when a woman has only so many choices? This text is probably one of the first of the Women's Studies "awakenings" and as such, is itself an important artifact of feminist theory. The story itself is sometimes rich and poetic and sometimes frustrating as you can get. Why does a woman's choice (in the Victorian setting) only amount to such limited options? Why can't Edna live in the world she wishes? There are some who claim that this book was banned in its author's home-town library-- if you want to know why, you'll have to read it yourself.
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Summary: The Awakening-not a cry for attention
Review: The book, the awakening, seemed to tell me more of something of our past. I long thought that in that time, when the ideas of a woman being equal was an idea that could never be thought of by women. It has never been spoke of casually that a woman did, even in those time; or especially in those times, thought of living their own life. This book was a light shown on someone realizing the way the world worked, loss, hopelessness and at the same time with this a new found growth of a person. It never seemed to be a statement of Mrs. Poniteller that she wanted to change the way society worked, it was more of an opposition, "if this is the way the world works, then i do not wish to be a part of it." Even in her death; or presumed death, she seemed so noble. I loved this book, it's enlightening, and a bit sad, as there seems to be truely no hope for her dreams. It's definitely worth reading.
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Summary: The Awakening
Review: I really enjoyed the book because it showed a person following their desires. Not only does Edna (the main character) break the chains of society but takes a chance at new love and has her heart shattered. This book is inspirational to anyone especially women. It shows how strong an individual can be when the circumstances are unbearable in a demanding Creole time period. This book shows that people put themselves in situations that they think will make them secure in life and insure happiness. Edna proves that the most "secure" route isn't always the best and won't always lead to contentment with one's self. The power of decisions and consequences of actions is explored thoroughly in The Awakening. Sometimes people act on an impulse and reactions have mixed outcomes. Real life and down to earth The Awakening certainly explores the agony and joys of life.
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Summary: One of My Favorite Novels of All Time!
Review: I read this book in highschool for my honors English course and fell in love with the story. This book was written before it's time about a woman trapped in soceity's expectations and her fight and sacrifice to free the binds on her soul. I have highlighted several passages and have reread this book many times. I totally understood the main character and felt for her. I highly recommend this novel. Kate Chopin tells the story wonderfully!
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Summary: Kudos for Chopin's genius!
Review: I am one of the readers who didn't sympathize with Edna, I had an intense dislike for Edna. To me she doesn't represent a "feminist" or a woman well ahead of her time, she just reminds me of a selfish, arrogant woman who cared little about anything except for her own-well being. I thought that Edna disregarded everyone in her life, and pushed away everyone who cared about her, and concerned herself only with her own problems. In the end I think Edna realized the truth about herslef too late: she should never have been married, because she was not suited to it. What I did find admirable in this novel is that Chopin was able to portray the ambiguous feeling Edna encounters as she realizes she hates her station in life. The intensity with which Chopin describes those emotions overtakies the reader, maybe because modern female readers today can ralize how lucky they are to have options outside of marriage, while Edna had none. We feel her despair as she sinks into depression. I appreciated knowing how far social expectations have come (though still not being totally equal). I think Madamoiselle Reisz was an example of the life Edna should have led. I think that Chopin's descriptive narrative gives the book an edge and saves the novel from the unoriginal and predictable plot. I also wondered why she picked drowning as a means of a way to die. My conclusion was that in the book I noticed part of her "awakening" comes from the sensation she recieves by swinning in the ocean by herself. she feels liveration and freedom out there, and in life she tried to find those things as well, but with little succcess. So in the end she gave herself back to the only place where she felt the joy and secret of life.
All in all, a interesting read, with good literary comparisons and symbolism.
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Summary: An important novel for young women to read
Review: Speaking as a 30-something year-old mom and wife, I was surprised to read that thoughts going through the main character's mind were thoughts that I myself had, down to the very word. I think this book was really ahead of its time. The concept of a woman realizing her true potential, or reconsidering major decisions she'd made in her life is, I believe, something that happens to many women today. In many cases, only until a woman has accomplished all of her goals, or attained everything she ever wanted, will she then start to reassess her life and ask herself some difficult questions, like how did she get to where she is today, or did she make the right decisions in her life, or is this the life really what she wanted, or is this all there is for her? I've read some pretty harsh reviews of this book and I don't really know what the intentions of the author were, but I still think that this is a very important novel, especially for any woman who is struggling with balancing the responsibilities she has towards her family, and redifining herself as an individual, or part of the rest of the world. Personally, it comforts me to know that women were facing these very same issues such a long time ago. The book was a fast read, but in all its simplicity, the main character spoke to me deeply. I gave it only four stars however, because the resolution of the story was pretty depressing. Although, in Victorian times, divorce wasn't an option and people weren't as forgiving as they are today, so I can see how the protagonist saw no other way.
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Summary: Excellent Book
Review: * * * * * Reviewer: Jerran
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an excellent book. The setting of the book is French New Orleans. Kate Chopin takes her reader into the life of Edna Pontellier and her quest to find out where she really belongs. Throughout the novel Kate Chopin uses a foil of two women to show how Edna doesn't really fit in with either of them. First of all she develops Madame Ratignolle as the motherly type of women and then she uses Mademoiselle Reisz as the free woman who can do what she wants, when she wants. This is a great book because Kate Chopin really develops her characters to the full, but it takes the whole book to do so, so this may cause some readers to lose interest. This book is not filled with eye opening action from beginning to end, but it is written in such a manner that it does hold your attention. Kate Chopin also delves into the subject of adultery, which may catch reader's attention. I feel that this book was ahead of its time in the struggles that women face everyday that were put on the back burner like who they really are, which I would also call the theme of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that would enjoy a read that really delves into the life of one person and explores fully. Be prepared for a surprise ending. (246 words)
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Summary: A True life lesson in Elegant style
Review: I read the novel, "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin and I was very interested in her style of writing. She is a powerful writer who really knows how to work her novels into the inner thoughts and minds of her characters. Rather then focusing on a specific adventure for her plot, she puts her characters into real life situations to show the reader exactly who they are. In this particular book, however, we learn about a married woman whose feelings for her life thus far is boring her, as she desires change. Edna Pontellier becomes torn when her feelings for a young boy named Robert Lebrun become a powerful and overtaking affair. I really enjoyed reading this book because it interested me to hear the feelings of a twenty-eight year old married woman, and her experiences of hopelessness and solitude. I recommend this to any woman looking for an interesting book. It really draws your attention to the importance of true love and the insignificance of material possessions.
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