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tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
In some senses, it does a great job at giving depth both to Bertha's character and background, and Mr. Rochester's feelings about her (which I did not expect to find here), as well as the racial complexities in Jamaica after the end of "legal slave ownership" (we know it was still being enacted nonetheless), colourism, women's autonomy and the treatment of (women's) madness and how these poor women are driven into these unstable mental states by their environments, and mostly their husbands.
But it was also confusing in a lot of instances and felt short when depicting more the nuance of the black characters' feelings towards their previous slave owners. I wish we had focused more on them in general, than the white Creole perspective, but I understand Rhys' background and how that shaped this re-imagining of Bertha's story. Still, I think it should be an essential read after Jane Eyre because it adds more depth to her character and a more complex post-colonial context than the original book did.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Slavery
aleskahhh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll be honest, the start frightened me, I hated the middle... but the ending was the most satisfyingly thing I have ever read. I read this as an introduction to post-colonial lit but it was intense. It introduces you to a very troubled protagonist, makes you watch her suffer at the hands of a horrible husband and yet somehow she is still able to hold onto who she is.
Graphic: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Gaslighting
elisabethshanahan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Colonisation
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Child death, and Forced institutionalization
amy_moss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
However, after reading the book again, I love it!! I found myself intertwined in the relationships and the tension created. Even the imagery in the book is amazing with recurring symbols which speak volumes about the plot which makes me love it even more!
(Although I would warn any mr Rochester fans against reading it)
Graphic: Slavery, Mental illness, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, Classism, Death of parent, Colonisation, Racism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny
bethsicle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Blood and Child death
jabletowns's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Mental illness, Racism, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Misogyny
lola_milk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child death and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Incest and Colonisation
ninaevan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
kclark's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Animal death, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Abandonment and Mental illness
cammiem8's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide