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A review by wuthrinheights
The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
1. The Yellow Wallpaper
I've been wanting to read this for a long time and I'm finally (gratefully) picking it up. Right from the first page, it has captured my attention, like a hook sinking into a fish's mouth.
It has this dark, suffocating ambience that I feel like I'm covered with a dark shawl and I'm hearing her through her scribbled entries. Entries written in haste and secrecy. About her life, her marriage, her John.
John. An immediate red flag. I detested him from the first time she mentioned him. John, so loved by people, so highly sought after, so educated and successful. Evil in the shape of a man. I wasn't looking forward to this. And I was scared for her.
The story took a slightly different turn, and I didn't even notice it ended. I thought the next story was actually another chapter. Imagine my surprise when the characters had different names and setting.
But reading up on it, it made more sense. I liked this a lot, I can see myself reading it again someday. 4.25 stars!
2. The Rocking Chair
First of all, I'm honestly very, very interested in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's writings. It has just the right balance of great story telling and making full use of that eerie, gothic feel. I had a feeling I'd enjoy her but I didn't have too much hope after reading some authors/works I thought I'd be a fan of.
Secondly, this story was intense. I had a headache but I couldn't put it down. For a short story, it was incredibly well penned. I wasn't bored, I had no time to be bored.
You get to meet the characters, immediately caught a glimpse of a waif, the easy relationship between the two characters were established and then cracks started to form, the suspicion and resentment grew, the girl kept slipping through their fingers until their clenched fists were up to each other's necks. And then there's that stomach-dropping end and you just have to live as if it were a normal day but no, you just finished an incredible short story. What a killer author. 5 stars!
3. Old Water
This was probably my least favourite one out of the three but it was still very, very good especially towards the last few pages. Once again we are treading on a slippery slope of territorial men with women they're pursuing. It was terrifying and suffocating. I feared for the girl's life and I couldn't imagine how it would end. 4 stars!
Gilman had such an impressive streak of short stories. I couldn't get enough of it. The themes were recurring but the stories were so different from one another, I could never really tell what to expect (or rather, I didn't want to expect--which proves to be a better reading experience). Safe to say she's quickly being added to my list of favourite authors.
I've been wanting to read this for a long time and I'm finally (gratefully) picking it up. Right from the first page, it has captured my attention, like a hook sinking into a fish's mouth.
It has this dark, suffocating ambience that I feel like I'm covered with a dark shawl and I'm hearing her through her scribbled entries. Entries written in haste and secrecy. About her life, her marriage, her John.
John. An immediate red flag. I detested him from the first time she mentioned him. John, so loved by people, so highly sought after, so educated and successful. Evil in the shape of a man. I wasn't looking forward to this. And I was scared for her.
The story took a slightly different turn, and I didn't even notice it ended. I thought the next story was actually another chapter. Imagine my surprise when the characters had different names and setting.
But reading up on it, it made more sense. I liked this a lot, I can see myself reading it again someday. 4.25 stars!
2. The Rocking Chair
First of all, I'm honestly very, very interested in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's writings. It has just the right balance of great story telling and making full use of that eerie, gothic feel. I had a feeling I'd enjoy her but I didn't have too much hope after reading some authors/works I thought I'd be a fan of.
Secondly, this story was intense. I had a headache but I couldn't put it down. For a short story, it was incredibly well penned. I wasn't bored, I had no time to be bored.
You get to meet the characters, immediately caught a glimpse of a waif, the easy relationship between the two characters were established and then cracks started to form, the suspicion and resentment grew, the girl kept slipping through their fingers until their clenched fists were up to each other's necks. And then there's that stomach-dropping end and you just have to live as if it were a normal day but no, you just finished an incredible short story. What a killer author. 5 stars!
3. Old Water
This was probably my least favourite one out of the three but it was still very, very good especially towards the last few pages. Once again we are treading on a slippery slope of territorial men with women they're pursuing. It was terrifying and suffocating. I feared for the girl's life and I couldn't imagine how it would end. 4 stars!
Gilman had such an impressive streak of short stories. I couldn't get enough of it. The themes were recurring but the stories were so different from one another, I could never really tell what to expect (or rather, I didn't want to expect--which proves to be a better reading experience). Safe to say she's quickly being added to my list of favourite authors.