Goodreads | Wide Sargasso Sea

Melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

07/05/08

bookshelves: master-s-exam

Read in July, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

(I've decided that I can't write this review without spoilers for not only Wide Sargasso Sea but also Jane Eyre. Lame.)

I've been avoiding reading Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea for a few years now. (My MA Exam list put an end to that.) I was certain that it would meddle with Jane Eyre and forever change that book for me. By the time I finished Book One, I felt safe. Rhys wasn't setting out to tear apart an evil imperialist book. (In fact, after reading some of her l...more (I've decided that I can't write this review without spoilers for not only Wide Sargasso Sea but also Jane Eyre. Lame.)

I've been avoiding reading Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea for a few years now. (My MA Exam list put an end to that.) I was certain that it would meddle with Jane Eyre and forever change that book for me. By the time I finished Book One, I felt safe. Rhys wasn't setting out to tear apart an evil imperialist book. (In fact, after reading some of her letters, I admire how she loved Jane Eyre, was ecstatic over the idea of writing about the First Mrs. Rochester, and struggled with writing a book that did not abuse Bronte's work.) Unfortunately, even though Rhys succeeded in winning my trust, I still didn't end up really liking the book.

Critics rave about Rhys' choice to have both Antoinette (dubbed "Bertha" by Rochester) and her husband (Rochester's name is actually never mentioned) narrate sections of the story. I liked the idea, but the narrations just didn't work for me. I never really understood the characters or their motivations. The characters make such extreme choices that they need explanation. For instance, I can understand husband receives letter claiming wife (he hardly knows that is of what he views as a different (strange) race) will go crazy and grows suspicious. I can't understand husband realizing wife gave him a love potion and thinking, I know, I'll have sex with another woman in the room next door so she'll hear! That'll show her! So often I just wanted to tell the two to sit down and talk. But instead one decides not to really speak any more and the other decides that a lifetime locked in the attic is the only way to go. The very structure of the narration suggests that the reasoning for their actions would lie in the text of the book, but, too often, I found myself alone in trying to justify their madness. (Which is the same thing Jane Eyre asked me to do--so then how is this book helpful?)

I'm tempted to say that the best part of this book is the idea of its conception, but I feel like that claim fails to acknowledge some really cool literary techniques that Rhys uses. She very effectively continues and expands on Bronte's use of mirroring, doubling, and bird symbolism. She breathes life into the character of Grace Poole. The way she ends the novel is superb and rather genius. The novel's greatest strength, I think, is that Rhys identifies, very forcibly, the marginalized space in which womanhood (in a patriarchal society) and imperialism forced her heroine to uncomfortably dwell. Poor Antoinette has no place of her own. She belongs no where. That's enough to make anyone's mind wander and not return.

So now that I've written the paragraph on stuff I liked, I guess I can no longer make the claim that I didn't like the book. Because some aspects were just fantastic. I suppose it's just the type of book that's better when you're not reading it and just thinking about it.

Anyone interested in further reading on Wide Sargasso Sea should read Sandra Drake's analysis: "All That Foolishness / That All Foolishness: Race and Caribbean Culture as Thematics of Liberation in Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea." It rocked my world....less

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Donna rated it:

(review of isbn 0141182857)

01/19/08

bookshelves: 1001-books, classic-books, dominica

Read in April, 2007

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

A fascinating follow-up to Jane Eyre, this book recounts the troubled life of Edward Rochester’s wife Antoinette — the madwoman in the attic at Thornfield Estate. I found this an interesting literary approach, bringing to life another character’s untold story from another book, and I wonder why Rhys felt this was a project she needed to take on. The result is a thought-provoking look at issues of racism, sexism, magic, identity, and madness, mostly set in the postcolonial world of t...more A fascinating follow-up to Jane Eyre, this book recounts the troubled life of Edward Rochester’s wife Antoinette — the madwoman in the attic at Thornfield Estate. I found this an interesting literary approach, bringing to life another character’s untold story from another book, and I wonder why Rhys felt this was a project she needed to take on. The result is a thought-provoking look at issues of racism, sexism, magic, identity, and madness, mostly set in the postcolonial world of the Caribbean amongst wildly colourful and sensual images of a lush jungle world. There are many haunting impressions and disturbing themes still running through my mind, and the longer I consider what I’ve read, the more I recognize that this is a much more complex tale than it appears to be on the surface.

* * * * *

W A R N I N G - - - S P O I L E R S

Rochester’s decision to take Antoinette to England with him and to lock her up in the attic at Thornfield displays a horrifyingly cruel side to a man that had gained my sympathy for a short time. Christophine offered him the perfect escape, yet he refused to leave Antoinette behind, at the time, it seems, as a reaction to the thought of her marrying someone else. But there is truly only one reason for his actions. Punishment. The desire to exact a cruel and inhuman revenge on the woman he had married.

The key question I’m left with after reading Wide Sargasso Sea is that of identity and its role in madness. Rochester maliciously and deliberately wrenches away Antoinette’s identity. He takes away her money and her property. In postcolonial Jamaica, the wealth of the wife reverts to the husband after marriage. Once he is confronted with her family history of psychological illness, he takes away her name and begins to call her Bertha (her mother’s name). He takes away her vision of herself, by imprisoning her in a room without mirrors. In the midst of her crazed thinking, Antoinette sees herself as split in half, two selves that cannot be reunited. She loses her sense of “self” when there are no mirrors in which to see what she looks like. This makes her doubt the reality of her own existence.

Mental illness is a subjective state that can be difficult to define. Rhys strongly suggests that Rochester is a key element in Antoinette’s descent into madness, through his rejection of her and withdrawal of any sense of love or caring. At what point is the borderline crossed between sanity and madness? Can one be pushed through that barrier by another’s cruelty and rejection? Can madness be defined by or equated to loss of identity? How can we understand such a process?

From a literary point of view, perhaps the most important message left by Rhys lies in perspective. Wide Sargasso Sea tell us about the life of Antoinette, and is narrated by both Antoinette and Rochester in turn. We are able to observe Antoinette’s story from many angles: from the viewpoint of Jane Eyre in the original Bronte novel, from the perspective of Edward Rochester, and through Antoinette’s own words and view of herself. This offers a well-rounded analysis of a complex character, accompanied by a strong commentary on the postcolonial world of the Caribbean, issues of racial and gender inequality, and the elusive relationship between identity and insanity....less

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Xio rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

07/18/08

bookshelves: femaleauthors

I am still processing this short novel and am unwilling to say too much about it while under its influence.

Rhys is, was more than a talented storyteller, she had a very keen notion of in/justice and what kind of living narrative can drive a person to means and ends.

If wanting a comparison, I would be forced to point to Franz Fanon or the poetry of Aime Cesaire. The similarities are immediately evident, I suppose.
-------------------------------------

So I've read much of the comme...more I am still processing this short novel and am unwilling to say too much about it while under its influence.

Rhys is, was more than a talented storyteller, she had a very keen notion of in/justice and what kind of living narrative can drive a person to means and ends.

If wanting a comparison, I would be forced to point to Franz Fanon or the poetry of Aime Cesaire. The similarities are immediately evident, I suppose.
-------------------------------------

So I've read much of the commentaries and essays from the end of the critical edition as well as begun to reread J. Eyre. The similarities (to me) between Jane and Antoinette are plain and striking but for me not the source of interest. What I think is worth looking at is how they are articulated as individuals. I have these (brief) scattered thoughts to offer:

Jane felt utterly alone in the world until she found solace in Christianity though the example of her schoolmate. This example is (necessarily) one of complacent obedience to the Christian god. (I won't tell you how, specifically) Jane seems to gain from this an ability to differentiate herself from her outsider status in society rather than keen after acceptance and grow distraught from her lack of "true" agency--which can only come from the possession of money.. I agree with Michael Thorpe, who suggested Jane is not at all indicative of 'feminist' thinking, rather she is acting from
"religious imperative" ("The Other Side" Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso Sea- M. Thorpe). Religion lends Jane her apparent strength to resist her desire to stay after the denouement.

(And this too I may not correctly grasp: how is it 'feminist' in any case to resist one's desires? Is it so because Rochester is-a-man? Because he has done what he had done (trying to avoid spoilers)?

Antoinette on the other hand, though she went to a convent school, has no religion. The girl she fixed upon was more a model of ideals: beauty, grace, and so on. But Antoinette never seems to gain friends let alone confidantes and neither does she manage to internalize these skills. Why?

Unlike Jane, who finds a way into a coherent society via one very acceptable path (religion), Antoinette's society no longer exists, not coherently and not for her. It seems that even should she want to (and she wants to, desperately) find her place there is no place left. She (her 'kind')is ostracized by all groups. There may be pity for her but there is never solace, not without oblivion (through Christophine's ministrations).

Of course, this is also about Edward Rochester and his situation: as the second-born male he inherits nothing. Historically these boys were found brides from a wealthy family (and many of these if not most were found in colonies) to assure their standing. Rhys writes him as a more sympathetic character than he could possibly be in J. Eyre. Not forgivable, not acceptable, but comprehensible. I suppose I mean to say that what Edward Rochester does within the scope of Sargasso is not Romantic (or Gothic) it is a Tragedy and so the action cannot be turned on its head to seem justifiable. ...less

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Nathaniel rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

07/05/08

Read in May, 2008

It is always a risky thing to create a narrative voice far below your own intelligence level. I find that authors less skillful than, say, Faulkner, end up producing poor quality, simple prose without managing to evoke youthfulness or naivety. The first portion of "Wide Sargasso Sea", suffers from the young teenage voice of Antoinette. I find it easy to scoff at passages like, "I woke next morning knowing that nothing would be the same. It would change and go on changing" or ...more It is always a risky thing to create a narrative voice far below your own intelligence level. I find that authors less skillful than, say, Faulkner, end up producing poor quality, simple prose without managing to evoke youthfulness or naivety. The first portion of "Wide Sargasso Sea", suffers from the young teenage voice of Antoinette. I find it easy to scoff at passages like, "I woke next morning knowing that nothing would be the same. It would change and go on changing" or "I prayed for a long time to be dead. Then remembered that this was a sin. It's presumption or despair, I forget which, but a mortal sin. So I prayed for a long time about that too, but the thought came, so many things are sins, why? Another sin, to think that." What's wrong with those passages (aside from their over-convenient simplifications)? They are sandwiched between passages like, "if we were never envious, they never seemed vain. Helene and Germain, a little disdainful, aloof perhaps, but Louise, not even that." and "This remark is made in a casual and perfunctory voice and she slides on to order and chastity, that flawless crystal that, once broken, can never be mended." It's unreasonable to expect readers to receive these four utterances as if they all occurred naturally to the same teenage girl. Narrative consistency matters.

The second part of the book is stronger and almost convinced me to forgive the first part of the novel (which had altogether lost my sympathy) on the basis of the strong contrast set up between them. We are all prepared to notice the shortcomings of Mr. Rochester's perspective. Rhys does not have to be terribly overt about his jealousy, his pride, his fear and his ignorance; these are clear to the reader because of how Mr. Rochester narrates and what he chooses to focus on. The second part is strong and entertaining and the show-down between Christophine (the book's most memorable character) and Mr. Rochester is very well done. While the Iago-like, lurking half-brother of Antoinette with his obnoxious letters, bribery and intrigue was a bit tedious and overdone, the second part of "Wide Sargasso Sea" still commands and rewards attention.

For better or for worse, I have not read "Jane Eyre"; so, the interplay between "Wide Sargasso Sea" and Bronte's novel is completely lost on me. As a result, I have no reason to forgive or accept the disappointing and forced third and final "part" of the novel. To make a novel so dependent on its relationship to another novel is also, somewhat of a risky decision. If I ever get around to "Jane Eyre", I may come back and give this review a second look. But, for now, I wouldn't recommend this particular take on wealthy-white-person-undone-by-tropics to anyone who is not a junky of this particular sub-genre.

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Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

03/01/08

bookshelves: brit-lit, fiction

recommends it for: people who loved Jane Eyre or love the gothic genre

The entire point and purpose of this novel is the atmosphere and the mood that it creates both in the minds of the character and the reader. That's really what I felt was the most accomplished thing here. It was very gothic, but managed not to feel antiquated or like all we needed was a few vampires and we had an Anne Rice novel. Rhys makes you feel the scents, the breezes and the raging emotions of the west indies that she is presenting, and I always love that in a novel.

The narrative poin...more The entire point and purpose of this novel is the atmosphere and the mood that it creates both in the minds of the character and the reader. That's really what I felt was the most accomplished thing here. It was very gothic, but managed not to feel antiquated or like all we needed was a few vampires and we had an Anne Rice novel. Rhys makes you feel the scents, the breezes and the raging emotions of the west indies that she is presenting, and I always love that in a novel.

The narrative point is to convey the other side of the story of Bertha, the madwoman in the attic from Jane Eyre. I thought she did a fairly good job of explaining to us how the woman ended up the way she was, and showing her slow descent into madness due to isolation and rejection that slowly breaks her down over the course of her life. For a slim volume, it manages to deal with a lot of issues, including virulent racism, colonial relations, sexual relations, and a post-slavery society. The idea of covering what things were like just after the abolition of slavery was especially interesting to me- how things didn't /really/ change, but just enough to make the society there an uncertain, toxic place to live.

The major problems I had with the piece relate to characterization and motivation. I have no idea why Rochester acted the way he did to his bride. We don't see enough of his thought process, except right at the very end, when he's already made his decision about her and we're moving into the Rochester and Bertha of the Jane Eyre we know, or right at the beginning, when the two of them were happy. I don't get why he starts to be the way he is to her, and the book doesn't explain it. It just happens. If you accept it, fine, but his character to that point doesn't explain that. He's not believable in that crucial middle section that drives his wife mad. She is, and so are the rest of the characters (though I'm uncertain about using almost the entire cast of black characters as a substitute for gothic monsters- with the exception of the terrifying Christophine.)

I just have to say too... I am so over these drowning Ophelia characters, who are so incredibly fragile and need saving all the time, and cannot possibly fend for themselves. The novel does explain how she got that way, but that rather annoyed me too. She got every excuse in the world to be helpless, and then didn't overcome that. This doesn't detract from how beautifully Jean Rhys paints a mind slowly succumbing to insanity, its just a personal thing that I've grown tired of.

Overall though, I'd recommend it. It won't take more than an afternoon or two to read, and its a very well done example of a mood piece. ...less

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Capitu rated it:

02/11/08

bookshelves: 2008, chick-bookclub

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Capitu by: chicklit.com bookclub

Wide Sargasso Sea was such a pleasant surprise. It was a bookclub choice from an internet forum I enjoy, and I picked it up without much knowledge of what it was about, other than the notorious Jane Eyre connection. Fan fiction is a much older concept than many of us had previously considered. But, calling it fanfiction is too narrow a definition.
Jean Rhys novella – it is quite a short book – wrestles with the human necessity of belonging, and the dire cost of not belonging. The l...more Wide Sargasso Sea was such a pleasant surprise. It was a bookclub choice from an internet forum I enjoy, and I picked it up without much knowledge of what it was about, other than the notorious Jane Eyre connection. Fan fiction is a much older concept than many of us had previously considered. But, calling it fanfiction is too narrow a definition.
Jean Rhys novella – it is quite a short book – wrestles with the human necessity of belonging, and the dire cost of not belonging. The luxuriant vegetation and climate of the Caribbean, the economic turmoil brought up by the abolition of slavery, and the distrust between European and Creole, white and black in a time ripe with revenge from past wrongs is all brought together as we follow “Antoinette/Bertha” from childhood to marriage, madness and death.
In a strange coincidence, I read “Bury the Chains”, by Adam Hochschild just a few weeks ago. In this account of the civil movement to abolish slavery in the British Empire, a few chapters are devoted to the atrocities perpetrated by slave owners in the Caribbean. And so, I read with even more interest about the relationship between former slave owners and the newly freed population.
Jean Rhys was born in the island of Dominica 60 years after the time when the events in the book take place, but her descriptions carry such depth and understanding that I can only wonder that distress must have permeated all interaction between the two communities for many generations to follow – how could it be any different after all?
But, this book is not only about the relationship dynamics within the islanders. It makes us question madness, cultural crash, colonization, machismo, sexuality and fear of sexuality, superstitions…
I did feel torn between 4 or 5 stars, because as beautiful as the prose is, the sequence of events left me feeling lost a couple of times. I had to turn back a few pages, wondering that I must had skipped a page or two, just to find out that the narration had “jumped”. But, I wonder, in a book where the characters are going mad, could the narrative be simple and linear? Also, the third part of the book – Bertha locked in an attic in England – seemed a bit contrived. It makes me speculate how the book would be like without the Jane Eyre connection. Would it had been a stronger book if we followed this character without the knowledge of where she was heading? At the end I decided on the 5 stars because its small shortcomings - if I can call them that - were greatly overshadowed by its strengths, and because it is a book that will remain with me for a long time…
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Inder rated it:

(review of isbn 0393308804)

09/02/08

bookshelves: 1001-books, 20th-century, colonial-postcolonial, fiction, read-2008, summer-reading, women

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: If you have read Jane Eyre, you must read this too. If you haven't read Jane Eyre, don't bother.

*** This review contains spoilers for the book Jane Eyre, and because Wide Sargasso Sea is based on Jane Eyre, there are some spoilers for this book as well. However, I imagine that most readers, like me, know the basic premise of both books before they start reading. Thus, I am not hiding my review.***

Haunting and lovely and very dark. A troubling book about passion, obsession, lust, and deep loneliness, written by a woman who ought to know. This is "Caribbean goth...more *** This review contains spoilers for the book Jane Eyre, and because Wide Sargasso Sea is based on Jane Eyre, there are some spoilers for this book as well. However, I imagine that most readers, like me, know the basic premise of both books before they start reading. Thus, I am not hiding my review.***

Haunting and lovely and very dark. A troubling book about passion, obsession, lust, and deep loneliness, written by a woman who ought to know. This is "Caribbean gothic," and gorgeously done. However (and this may sound cold, but the best part of this book is the intellectual experiment), I was more interested by the political/historical aspect of the novel ...

This should be required reading for anyone who has read (and especially, like me - loved) Jane Eyre. And to a lesser extent, for all lovers of 19th century English literature.

I have read Jane Eyre at least twice, and I have always had mixed feelings about Mr. Rochester and his mad wife in the attic. I could never completely trust Mr. Rochester, who is not only extremely grumpy and authoritarian, but shuts his wife up in the attic while seducing Jane as well as some rich girl, and then knowingly commits bigamy ... Not exactly great husband material, right?

Also, who isn't disturbed by Bronte's easy equation between "creole" and "insane"? Implicitly, the humanity of the mad woman in the attic can be dismissed, because she is alien, uncivilized, and "other." It's downright creepy, even if taken at face value (but especially when read in connection with St. John's missionary zeal).

Jane is such a feminist character, but her choice of husand belies deeply internalized patriarchy - she goes for a man who, at best, is deeply troubled and needs to be taken care of, nurtured, and soothed like a petulant child, and at worst, is an untrustworthy and controlling megalomaniac. The novel's "happy" ending never felt that happy to me. Don't get me wrong - I love the novel all the more for that dark and ambivalent ending. But it's disturbing.

Wide Sargasso Sea attempts to grapple with the questions about colonialism and patriarchy that Jane Eyre never fully addresses, skillfully exposing the dark underbelly of 19th century English prosperity and power. In this way, it is a necessary companion to all my favorite gothic and Victorian British novels, as well as being a beautiful novel in its own right.

Through this novel, the subaltern woman, firmly outside the hegemonic power systems of her day, driven to insanity and reduced to arson and suicide, literally speaks....less

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Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0393308804)

05/29/07

bookshelves: 1001, bookclub, fiction

Read in July, 2002

I have read several books over the past year that were inspired by or offered different viewpoints on other books and stories. These included "The Red Tent", "Wicked", "The Hours", and most recently "Wide Sargasso Sea." I have enjoyed reading all of them and love seeing new perspectives on classic tales. "Wide Sargasso Sea" is Jean Rhys' take on Bronte's "Jane Eyre". However, instead of focusing on Jane Eyre, Ryhs instead turns the lens...more I have read several books over the past year that were inspired by or offered different viewpoints on other books and stories. These included "The Red Tent", "Wicked", "The Hours", and most recently "Wide Sargasso Sea." I have enjoyed reading all of them and love seeing new perspectives on classic tales. "Wide Sargasso Sea" is Jean Rhys' take on Bronte's "Jane Eyre". However, instead of focusing on Jane Eyre, Ryhs instead turns the lens onto the life of Bertha, the mad woman who is locked in the attic of Mr. Rochester's house. The story takes place in Jamaica and Dominica in the mid-1800's. It is a time of unrest between the English colonizers, the recently freed slaves, and the Creoles. Antoinette Cosway (Bertha) is the Creole daughter of former slave owners and an heiress. Rhys relays Antoinette's lonely childhood and her misfortunes with friendship and love. Antoinette's family arranges a marriage for her with a young English gentleman, Mr. Rochester. The book sheds a new, completely different light on the character of Mr. Rochester than what we saw in "Jane Eyre".
"Wide Sargasso Sea" is narrated in several different voices including Antoinette and Mr. Rochester. These voices switch throughout the novel with little warning. Some may find this hard to follow. The novel also creates a great sense of place. Rhys does an excellent job of evoking the hot, humid atmosphere of the Caribbean.

"Wide Sargasso Sea" was a recent selection in my book group. We enjoyed discussing it while dining on Caribbean fare. The discussion focused on topics such as colonialism, rich vs. poor, slavery, love, and of course madness. This was a good book for a discussion group since there were many themes to cover and also since it was inspired by "Jane Eyre", the group could also compare both books. I read the Norton Critical Edition of "Wide Sargasso Sea" which contained footnotes and an Appendix of essays and articles written about the book. The footnotes helped to deepen my understanding of the book since there were many references (literary and otherwise) that I may've missed.

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Laura rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

12/05/07

While doing some research on fan fiction, I came upon a comment that while it is widely derided as non-literary work, there does exist recognized literary writing that is, in essence, fan fiction. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys was one of these examples.

The story is that of Antoinette Cosway, also known as Bertha Mason. If you think you’ve heard that name before, Bertha is the mad wife in the attic from Jane Eyre. Rhys tells Antoinette’s story from her childhood in Jamaica to her hasty m...more

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Doria rated it:

(review of isbn 0393960129)

04/26/08

Read in April, 2008

I've just started reading this book, which I've been wanting to read for so long. I'm very excited about this particular edition, because it has footnotes (I LOVE books with footnotes, I'm such a nerd) and all sorts of interesting historical details about the author and the setting (Jamaica, Dominica, Caribbean). Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to read this one!!

Okay, I just finished it yesterday - wow, what a fast read! I was surprised by how short it was, and yet how much it contai...more

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Núria rated it:

(review of isbn 0140818030)

03/24/08

bookshelves: 2008, owned

Read in March, 2008

Creo que mi problema con este libro es que tenía demasiadas expectativas puestas en él. El problema es que la adaptación de la BBC me gustó muchísimo y esperaba que el libro me gustara aún más. En principio lo tiene todo para enamorarme, porque se centra en la primera esposa del Mr. Rochester de 'Jane Eyre' (la loca del desván), desde su infancia en Jamaica, pasando por su matrimonio con cierto señor inglés que se va deteriorando progresivamente, y acabando recluída en una casa ingles...more

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Ginnie rated it:

(review of isbn 0393960129)

05/16/08

bookshelves: fiction, women

Few books have affected me this deeply. It is a very moving account of Antoinette/Bertha's spiral into madness. As a reader you become absorbed; feel her pain as she realises that happiness will always elude her. You really do not have to have read Jane Eyre, in order to enjoy this but having it in your reading memory will give Wide Sargasso Sea an added dimension. Bronte does not give a voice to the mad woman in the attic, leaving us little possibility to understand her. Rhys give...more

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T.J. rated it:

(review of isbn 0393308804)

05/13/08

bookshelves: colonial-post-colonial, mo-shelf

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: post-colonial scholars, angry people of color, Bronte-fans

Dear God, what an audacious and inconsistent book. It takes some bold spirit to write a prequel to [[author:Charlotte Bronte]'s Jane Eyre, but Dominican author Jean Rhys takes a strike at it. What you end up with is a novel that definitely bears the imprint of the post-colonialism that was wildly popular in 1966, but still has striking relevance in parts to today. WSS is a haunti...more

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Pamela rated it:

(review of isbn 0393000567)

12/01/07

One of the foremost examples of a novel growing, years after the fact, from a singular, fairly unregarded (certainly unheard), character from a classic text. Bertha Cosway, described by Rochester as, basically, a bestial slut, is allowed, by Rhys, to explain the dreadful circumstances that led to her attic imprisonment. You know, Jane Eyre has a lot of points to recommend her as a strong heroine (surviving life with those wretched Reed children not the least, although I find the Helen interlude ...more

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Alison rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

01/27/08

bookshelves: alltime100novel, contemporaryfiction, modernlibrary100best

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: anyone interested in West Indies culture/politics; Jane Eyreites

This is a must-read for anyone who's read and enjoyed "Jane Eyre." It's the story of Bertha...Mr. Rochester's first wife. This short novel (around 100 pages) is divided into three parts.

Part I tells the story of Bertha's childhood in the West Indies from her own point of view. It outlines her relationship to her mother, her few aquaintances, and her homeland.

Part II is from the point of view of Bertha's new husband (an unnamed Mr. Rochester) and details his reaction to dis...more

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Maryse rated it:

(review of isbn 0445002514)

04/13/07

bookshelves: classics-modern

It took me years to find a copy being sold here, and I was so happy when I was finally able to finish it.
Jean Rhys wrote Wide Sargasso Sea as a back story to the mad woman in the attic in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Set miles away from foggy England, in the hot, wild West Indies at a time when white people are slowly loosing their hold on the locals, the story follows Antoinette, then a young girl. With her father dead, and a mulato mother whom the servants think insane, Antoinette...more

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Lavinia rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

09/03/08

Read in June, 2008

e o carte care merita citita, chiar si daca nu ar fi fost atit de mult asociata cu jane eyre, oferind un impact vizual si olfactiv extrem de puternic [ce aminteste de marquez si marea caraibilor, rhys ramine in zona indiilor de vest:]. daca va era dor de miros de rom, cuisoare, scortisoara si vetiver, go for it!

interesting fact: criticii de la time o includ in all-time 100 novels.

de pe coperta:

În acest remarcabil roman, Jean Rhys (1890-1979) o salvează pe nebuna închisă în mansardă din Jane Eyre a lui Charlotte Brontë şi o aduce la viaţă în personajul frumoasei şi tragicei Antoinette Cosway. Cartea ne conduce pe fermecătoarea insulă caraibiană a lui Antoinette, un Eden luxuriant, dar devastat de conflicte tot mai acute între foştii sclavi şi familia moştenitoarei creole. Căsătoria ei cu englezul Rochester, aflat în vizită pe insulă, pare să ofere scăparea de suferinţe şi violenţă. Povestea de dragoste a celor doi capătă însă o turnură sinistră chir înainte ca luna de miere să se fi terminat şi ei sunt prinşi în pânza de păianjen obsedantă, devoratoare a zvonurilor, istoriilor de demult şi trădării....more

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Siria rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

04/26/08

bookshelves: 20th-century, british-fiction, historical-fiction

Read in October, 2004

I greatly enjoyed Wide Sargasso Sea. There is the draw of looking at what is, essentially, a piece of published fanfiction (one which was written in response to the colonialism and racism which Rhys saw in Brontë's text), but even leaving that aside, it is a very well-written piece of work. Her prose is lush and descriptive, without ever becoming overly florid, and I thought she used first person POV remarkably well. Plenty of insight into the characters, but always the reminder that the...more

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Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0140274219)

08/08/08

bookshelves:

Wide Sargasso Sea

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