You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the most unsettling story I have read in a while. It's very short and I read it accompanied by eerie whale noises (which I listened to maybe once for 3 minutes, 10 years ago but got a random urge to put it on to this - a fantastic pairing )
. The sentence structure was beautiful and the description of the surroundings absolutely spectacular. I will be picking up everything else this author has written.
. At times throughout this short story I felt almost physically nauseated, not due to disgust but, rather ,nervousness and anxiety. I love the way the main characters descent into madness was portrayed - it made me feel like I was briefly losing my mind alongside her. It was interesting that throughout the story we can follow her attitudes towards the woman in the wallpaper - from fear, to wanting to protect her child from her, to feeling possessive of her, jealous, and ultimately transforming into her, mirroring what had likely happened to the previous occupants also, judging from the descriptions of pulled away wallpaper and bite marks which were explored at the start.
Overall, I loved this short story and I can't wait to read more by this author
I also just discovered that this likely represents post party depression and that Victorian women were separated after birth and made to lay down and ‘sleep’ for a few months after birth, rarely engaging with their babies or others! Her husband, the physician, doesn't take her concerns over her health seriously, and in turn further fuels her decline. I will be rereading this short story as it was so packed with gems that I’m sure I missed the first time.
. The sentence structure was beautiful and the description of the surroundings absolutely spectacular. I will be picking up everything else this author has written.
. At times throughout this short story I felt almost physically nauseated, not due to disgust but, rather ,nervousness and anxiety. I love the way the main characters descent into madness was portrayed - it made me feel like I was briefly losing my mind alongside her. It was interesting that throughout the story we can follow her attitudes towards the woman in the wallpaper - from fear, to wanting to protect her child from her, to feeling possessive of her, jealous, and ultimately transforming into her, mirroring what had likely happened to the previous occupants also, judging from the descriptions of pulled away wallpaper and bite marks which were explored at the start.
Overall, I loved this short story and I can't wait to read more by this author
I also just discovered that this likely represents post party depression and that Victorian women were separated after birth and made to lay down and ‘sleep’ for a few months after birth, rarely engaging with their babies or others! Her husband, the physician, doesn't take her concerns over her health seriously, and in turn further fuels her decline. I will be rereading this short story as it was so packed with gems that I’m sure I missed the first time.
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This short story was tangible in the way that the narrator’s mental illness is not according to the physicians who dismiss her struggle. Her feelings, even while she herself is excusing them away, are visceral and real. I was entranced and wish I read this three years ago when everyone told me to, when I was an English major and could have written an obnoxious and delighted paper on it
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I don’t know why I should write this—- I don’t want to.—- I don’t feel able.”
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 || A haunting story that left me with many thoughts and questions. So many lines resonated, and often I was entranced by the language used. I found myself really examining the text, line by line, trying to solve the puzzle as it was unfolding. I'm glad I've read it, and I will no doubt think of it at various points in the future-- particularly the way the woman's perception of the yellow wallpaper shifts, along with my perception of the story.