Simple, complex, beautiful, and so full of hope and real magic. I read this to counteract the toll House of Leaves was taking on my mental stability. The book did its job well, and then some.
I read this book in high school and could not remember much about it, except that it had a profound effect on me at the time. So, on a whim, I picked it up again this summer, and now I see why it gets so cleverly under the skin. Edna Pontellier is one of those undefinable characters in literature who ask more question than they answer. She is no hero, but neither is she the victim of this story. Instead, she's caught somewhere in between, in that frustratingly flawed space that it can be painful to face. But Chopin is unflinching, and thank god for that.
3 Books
See all
