Reviews

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

readingowl03's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kaylananci's review against another edition

4.0

every time i read a book or a short story for my women in lit class the whole time my brain is just like “women…they have minds and they have souls as well as just hearts” from little women and it makes me laugh but i love it

nunhauntology's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

batmanbussy's review against another edition

4.0

when in doubt of what to read I always pick a feminist classic

bookward's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

scarlord's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

3.25

alfie_reads's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.0

Anna Karenina if it was a quarter of the length and actually cared about the female protagonist. 

sic_corneille's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

lavrendy's review against another edition

3.0

Completely torn on this one. I really wanted to be happy for Edna, especially when she got her own apartment and started painting and going on walks etc etc etc but I just couldn’t look past how even in a time that was significantly worse for women, she was sooo privileged. She had the money to pay people to watch her children 24/7. She had a mansion and endless time to spend with her suitors. She even had extra money from her family to get her own place once she made up her mind to do it. So while I get why this was revolutionary for its time, it doesn’t feel right to praise as a brilliant manifesto for women everywhere. A lot of women do still feel similarly to Edna, but they are often required to sacrifice a lot more to empower themselves than she did. And tbh I’d rather just read those stories instead.

All that being said, the characters in this book, including Edna, were extremely complex and felt real to me as soon as they were introduced. The writing was fresh and more straightforward than a lot of other works from the same time. I LOVED Mademoiselle Reisz and wish we had gotten more of her backstory.

Also I haven’t read Anna Karenina but I did just watch the Keira Knightley adaptation and wasn’t this basically the same plot??

madisonkray21's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0