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bored_desperado's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
garvsy's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Oh man, this woman was (still) ahead of time.
My favourite Stories:
- The Yellow Wallpaper
- The Cottagette
- Turned
Let's go girlbosses
My favourite Stories:
- The Yellow Wallpaper
- The Cottagette
- Turned
Let's go girlbosses
carringtonshaw's review
In the end, I did not finish the entire book. I got most of the way there--I only had about 50 pages left--but I was tired of it and ready to move on to other things. The problem was, while the title story is really excellent, a great piece of classic fiction, the rest is just...not very good, from a storytelling standpoint. The writing itself, at a sentence level, is more than adequate. Gilman can string words together in an attractive way. That isn't the issue. The issue is that pretty much every story in this book is propaganda, rather than entertainment. And with only a few exceptions (the titular story being the most obvious one), it's pretty much the same story over and over again. A woman late in life decides to take matters into her own hands and get a job, or find a way to pay for her large property, and does it by herself and with much success, while men and grown children argue with her about it. It's a good story...the first or second time you read it. But then it just gets old. I'm not opposed to her agenda--feminism in the days of the Suffragettes--but all the same, I wanted entertainment, not propaganda.
That said, I was intrigued by how very modern it all felt. I guess while I knew that there obviously were feminists in that era, fighting for the advancement and freedom of women, it was still surprising to see women, in stories written by a woman of that time, expressing such desires. I think I just believed most were so subsumed by the ideals and beliefs of that era's society that women weren't even thinking about or wanting the freedoms that the women in this book are so determined to have. From that perspective, this was all fascinating. I always kind of wondered in an offhand way exactly where the feminist spark came from. What shook women out of the ideals of the era and acceptance of their existence as it was and into the recognition that they could have more? And now because of this book, I think the obvious answer is that the spark was there all along.
Because I don't rate books I didn't finish, I'm lucking out of having to figure this one out. Because this would be tricky. There is such a distinct plateau in the quality between The Yellow Wall-Paper and the other stories in this book. The former is a masterpiece. Of the latter, it is worth browsing through a few at random.
DNF at page 277.
That said, I was intrigued by how very modern it all felt. I guess while I knew that there obviously were feminists in that era, fighting for the advancement and freedom of women, it was still surprising to see women, in stories written by a woman of that time, expressing such desires. I think I just believed most were so subsumed by the ideals and beliefs of that era's society that women weren't even thinking about or wanting the freedoms that the women in this book are so determined to have. From that perspective, this was all fascinating. I always kind of wondered in an offhand way exactly where the feminist spark came from. What shook women out of the ideals of the era and acceptance of their existence as it was and into the recognition that they could have more? And now because of this book, I think the obvious answer is that the spark was there all along.
Because I don't rate books I didn't finish, I'm lucking out of having to figure this one out. Because this would be tricky. There is such a distinct plateau in the quality between The Yellow Wall-Paper and the other stories in this book. The former is a masterpiece. Of the latter, it is worth browsing through a few at random.
DNF at page 277.
lknano's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If I were only to rate Herland, I would have given a much lower rating, however, the short stories and poetry does bring the rating up. The biggest factor to why I disliked Herland, is how it is somehow both misogynistic and ultra-feministic at the same time. Despite the author trying to emphasise and highlight the ‘female power,’ and how utopian and peaceful a female-led society can be, but I found that it still stays within the misogynistic ideal of how the highest and most admirable ‘intrinsic female trait’ is one of “motherhood” (which I found quite oversimplifying and frustrating at times). Perhaps, I’m just reading too much into it, but somehow the story just didn’t quite sit well with me. Nonetheless, I did enjoy some of the short stories and the poetry.
witpip's review against another edition
3.0
I read the Yellow Wallpaper in High School. It stuck with me. Mental Illness. The way women were treated (some still treat women this way). If my husband locked me in a room... well... I would have burned down the house with us both in it.
gracefool's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Highs and lows, as expected with any short story collection. Some lines have you cheering for the (then and still now) radical feminist hot take, and other stories feel more like the author theorising a feminist future, while trying to present it as a story. There's literally one section where the women discuss a female owned enterprise, and it's just dialogue on how they will invent this feminist business model. Which from a feminist view f yeah, but from a reading fiction point of view, bit boring.
Despite the first impressions of the titular story, the yellow wallpaper, which had me believing this was going to be a series of mad women with little autonomy, for the most part this book is about women stepping outside of their traditional roles, interrupting the script their male counterparts have thrust upon them, and create their own wealth, happiness and/or future.
Highs and lows, as expected with any short story collection. Some lines have you cheering for the (then and still now) radical feminist hot take, and other stories feel more like the author theorising a feminist future, while trying to present it as a story. There's literally one section where the women discuss a female owned enterprise, and it's just dialogue on how they will invent this feminist business model. Which from a feminist view f yeah, but from a reading fiction point of view, bit boring.
Despite the first impressions of the titular story, the yellow wallpaper, which had me believing this was going to be a series of mad women with little autonomy, for the most part this book is about women stepping outside of their traditional roles, interrupting the script their male counterparts have thrust upon them, and create their own wealth, happiness and/or future.
bingo789's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the story but the end was a flop to me. It could have been a lot better.
dmswack3's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
A lovely collection of stories! Starts with a psychological thriller, then moves to warmer and brighter pieces.