Reviews - The Yellow Wallpaper

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15.2k reviews for:

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Dale M. Bauer

4.05 AVERAGE

eva_dst's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious fast-paced

louvaadeus's review against another edition

3.25

dark tense fast-paced

rachel_bowen's review against another edition

4.0

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

elusorius's review against another edition

4.0

Just a creepy little story.

I enjoyed this! It was exactly the vibe I wanted from it. It was well-written and I liked the characters. The ending was perfect and I enjoyed the journal format. The descriptions of the way women were treated at the time were creepy in their own way.

4/5

milliebooksonly's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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

leoni_g's review against another edition

4.0

dark sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

ash_ana's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

An easy one-sitting read. I appreciate a book that gives a point of view from someone with a mental health disorder - it offers insight into both the inner struggle and how society responds to it. Not only does this story do that, but it also highlights gender roles in the 19th century.

Imagine: this woman is calling out for help to her physician husband, and he dismisses her, prescribing “rest” instead of letting her write. At the same time, he still expects her to do housework - such a sign of the times.

And then there’s the woman trapped in the wallpaper. Depending on who’s reading, it could be seen as a metaphor for her own confinement, or even read like a horror short story with gothic, unsettling vibes.

What makes it even more haunting is that we never actually know who this woman is. She’s unnamed, which makes her feel like she could represent any woman trapped in those roles.