Reviews - The Yellow Wallpaper

15.5k reviews for:

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

4.05 AVERAGE

varvara's review against another edition

4.5

mysterious fast-paced

The first two short stories were wonderfully creepy, the last one - not so much (but I liked the ending anyway).

threadhappens's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jaidasbookend's review against another edition

3.0

girl the wallpaper was that bad?

elizabethmercas's review against another edition

3.5

challenging reflective fast-paced

This woman recovering from childbirth goes with her husband to a country house to “rest.” At first it sounds great: big house, garden, even a maid. But then there’s the nursery with that horrible yellow wallpaper. It’s ugly, it smells, and the longer she’s stuck in there, the more convinced she is that something’s moving behind it.

"If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?”

This really sums up the narrator’s lack of control. She’s trapped not only by the “rest cure” but also by the authority of her husband, who dismisses her feelings as hysteria. With everyone around her believing him, she has no way to be heard or taken seriously, which makes her isolation and her eventual breakdown feel inevitable.

Honestly, it was a very weird read. The story, the diary format, and especially the ending. I don’t mind “weird” if I can at least follow what’s happening, but here I kept feeling unsure. It’s not great when you finish a story and then need to look up an explanation just to confirm what you read. I do think it’s a strong story, even brilliant in some ways, but I wish it had a few more pages to fill in the gaps. The diary entries sometimes jump too suddenly, and the ending felt way too abrupt and open for my taste.

annsfictworld's review against another edition

4.5

informative reflective sad fast-paced

lettersfromry_'s review against another edition

3.75

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

livvywivvy's review against another edition

3.0

For an old book, this sure does stand the test of time. Really just sad that women’s health issues are STILL not taken seriously. I think Charlotte would be disappointed to hear that scientists only JUST started testing period products on REAL blood.
Despite being really short, I think it explores the alienation of women struggling with health issues perfectly. Never taken seriously and completely shrugged off as either being pregnant or a side effect of birth control.
The ending was a little too abrupt for me, I would have preferred the book be longer so we could delve further and further into the madness, it just felt like the story wasn’t fully fleshed out :(

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