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gabthebookworm's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Misogyny
takarakei's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Confinement
thecheeseowl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have wanted to read this book for a while now and I was not disappointed.
This is a book about a woman who is experiencing postpartum depression. Her husband who is a physician is making it worse by locking her in an unfamiliar room with ugly wallpaper all day and not allowing her to talk to anyone or do anything but stare at the wall. This "treatment" worsens the woman causing her to start seeing things in the wallpaper.
This book is based on an experience the author herself had when she gave birth to her daughter. Which means that there is hope for the main character being able to escape her prison because the author herself was able to.
This is a book about
This book is based on an experience the author herself had when she gave birth to her daughter. Which means that there is hope for the main character being able to escape her prison because the author herself was able to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
sophie8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I'm terrified. The image of this women just crawling ('creeping') quickly round and round the edges of her room, and her husband opening the door and seeing her, fainting and her thought is that it's annoying, now she must creep over him each lap. There's something so chilling about reading a first person diary entry style book, where the narrator descends into psychoses. The 'women behind the paper' was creepy to start, but it was when she began to think she was the woman that was the worst. Written seamlessly and expertly, a definate 5 stars. Huge statement on the treatment of women, mental health, and the prescription of bed rest/ 'rest cure' where you're not allowed to do anything but sit or sleep. The wallpaper was unsettling, especially the pattern, although that was the point!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Mental illness
thesesusspace's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you like horror, have Spotify Premium, and have 40 mins def worth it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Confinement
cat12345's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Confinement, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Self harm
Minor: Misogyny, Death, and Homophobia
dahud's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm
nadiamasood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is dark and it ends on a chilling note.
To better appreciate this short story, one would find it helpful to have a little background on the author herself and how women's mental health was treated in the 19th century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was already prone to depression and suffered from severe postpartum depression after giving birth. At the time, the predominantly male medical profession was not equipped to deal with mental health. Women were considered “hysterical” beings by their very nature, their health problems were often dismissed as mere nerves.
Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell was summoned to help, who prescribed the “rest cure,” which essentially required that she give up ALL creative pursuits, such as reading and writing, keep a nurse with her at all times, avoid any activities that required mental exertions, prohibition from meeting with friends and family, and enforced sedentary lifestyle, where one must lie in bed for most of the day. Instead of curing her, these restrictions—prescribed by Miller and enforced by her husband—only made her depression worse, and she began to have suicidal thoughts.
Charlotte divorced six years later, in 1894. Her depression began to lift, and she embarked on a steady recovery. Gilman’s experience with depression and her first marriage influenced her writing heavily.
Gilman's writing in The Yellow Wallpaper is both haunting and evocative. The narrative is presented through the eyes of an unnamed woman who is prescribed a "rest cure" by her physician husband, John. We read the story as her journal entries, noting her deteriorating mental state as her obsession with the wallpaper intensifies, culminating in a disturbing and poignant climax.
The story is rich in symbolism. For example, the mansion seemed like a mental asylum: the bed is nailed to the floor and the windows are barred. She begins seeing women jumping out of the wallpaper, which suggests she could be delusional. I wonder if John was even her husband? Could he be a doctor trying out the rest cure on a patient?
It stood out to me that despite being gaslighted by her husband and dismissed as hysterical, she maintains a sense of self and ultimately asserts her agency powerfully and unforgettably!
I highly recommend this book to everyone!
To better appreciate this short story, one would find it helpful to have a little background on the author herself and how women's mental health was treated in the 19th century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was already prone to depression and suffered from severe postpartum depression after giving birth. At the time, the predominantly male medical profession was not equipped to deal with mental health. Women were considered “hysterical” beings by their very nature, their health problems were often dismissed as mere nerves.
Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell was summoned to help, who prescribed the “rest cure,” which essentially required that she give up ALL creative pursuits, such as reading and writing, keep a nurse with her at all times, avoid any activities that required mental exertions, prohibition from meeting with friends and family, and enforced sedentary lifestyle, where one must lie in bed for most of the day. Instead of curing her, these restrictions—prescribed by Miller and enforced by her husband—only made her depression worse, and she began to have suicidal thoughts.
Charlotte divorced six years later, in 1894. Her depression began to lift, and she embarked on a steady recovery. Gilman’s experience with depression and her first marriage influenced her writing heavily.
Gilman's writing in The Yellow Wallpaper is both haunting and evocative. The narrative is presented through the eyes of an unnamed woman who is prescribed a "rest cure" by her physician husband, John. We read the story as her journal entries, noting her deteriorating mental state as her obsession with the wallpaper intensifies, culminating in a disturbing and poignant climax.
The story is rich in symbolism. For example, the mansion seemed like a mental asylum: the bed is nailed to the floor and the windows are barred. She begins seeing women jumping out of the wallpaper, which suggests she could be delusional. I wonder if John was even her husband? Could he be a doctor trying out the rest cure on a patient?
It stood out to me that despite being gaslighted by her husband and dismissed as hysterical, she maintains a sense of self and ultimately asserts her agency powerfully and unforgettably!
I highly recommend this book to everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Gaslighting
bookwormcat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
marayzex's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Minor: Stalking