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bethsicle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Blood
ninaevan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Beautiful writing, dark and moody but also vivid with technicolor detail. It’s an incredible homage to a literary figure who so deeply deserved it. This edition also was very helpful for it it’s contextual insights- I learned a lot as I absorbed the story.
My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad
My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
im_a_toothfairy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Definitely read this if you have read Jane Eyre. I was not a big fan of Jane Eyre but I did enjoy this book and it also helped me understand Jane Eyre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Misogyny and Slavery
yarnofariadne's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
cammiem8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
glittergrandma's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny and Forced institutionalization
bibliophilehag's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first read this for my undergrad and I gave it a 5 star rating then! I think reading it again now I appreciate it and understand it much more. Wide Sargasso Sea is a sad and powerful read which is reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper. It is a history of women’s experience which has been told time and time again and never fails to be impactful. I think this text could be read as a prequel to Jane Eyre but I’d also like to read it after I read Brontë’s work too.
Some reviews criticise Rhys’ disjointed writing style, and in that case, they have missed the entire point of the book. The little agency Antoinette has diminishes throughout the novel as her husband (Rochester’s) voice becomes dominant. Wide Sargasso Sea gives context to the madwoman in the attic and shows us that victim blaming, and the angel/monster trope is omnipresent.
Some reviews criticise Rhys’ disjointed writing style, and in that case, they have missed the entire point of the book. The little agency Antoinette has diminishes throughout the novel as her husband (Rochester’s) voice becomes dominant. Wide Sargasso Sea gives context to the madwoman in the attic and shows us that victim blaming, and the angel/monster trope is omnipresent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Rhys does a great job of portraying Mr Rochester in a way that is different from that of the original text but is still entirely believable. It’s definitely a perspective of the character that I will keep in mind when I come to re-read Brontë’s classic since I was never really a fan of Mr Rochester, to begin with. I also found Rhys’ inclusion of Antoinette’s constant lack of belonging anywhere—she never gains acceptance but rather floats between the European and the Jamanian cultures of her childhood—as an intriguing possibility for her descent into madness whilst shedding light on an important, and not just postcolonial, theme. It’s a very rich, layered text and I think if you’re going to read it I’d suggest reading Jane Eyre first and then take your time with reading Wide Sargasso Sea so that you can really absorb the various details, meanings, and identify those connections with Jane Eyre.
I found Rhys’ prose in this particular text quite disjointed and confusing. There were quite a few times where I found myself stopping and having to re-read a sentence several times to be able to understand it which I found quite jarring. Rhys seems to have created a disorientating feeling through the prose quite possibly to emphasize Antoinette’s descent into madness through the inclusion of dreams, nightmares, incomplete sentences, and a blurring of different first-person voices. While I understand and appreciate why Rhys does this, it isn’t the kind of writing style I enjoy normally. One of my biggest criticisms with this novel is the inclusion of first-person narration from Rochester. It’s very apparent that he’s an unreliable narrator and so we don’t get to view him as the antagonist that Antoinette sees because that would never be his own view. I think I would have much preferred it if it were written entirely in Antoinette’s voice. Overall, I quite liked themes that Rhys explored and the meanings behind the text but execution, at least for me, is not one that appeals to me.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
I found Rhys’ prose in this particular text quite disjointed and confusing. There were quite a few times where I found myself stopping and having to re-read a sentence several times to be able to understand it which I found quite jarring. Rhys seems to have created a disorientating feeling through the prose quite possibly to emphasize Antoinette’s descent into madness through the inclusion of dreams, nightmares, incomplete sentences, and a blurring of different first-person voices. While I understand and appreciate why Rhys does this, it isn’t the kind of writing style I enjoy normally. One of my biggest criticisms with this novel is the inclusion of first-person narration from Rochester. It’s very apparent that he’s an unreliable narrator and so we don’t get to view him as the antagonist that Antoinette sees because that would never be his own view. I think I would have much preferred it if it were written entirely in Antoinette’s voice. Overall, I quite liked themes that Rhys explored and the meanings behind the text but execution, at least for me, is not one that appeals to me.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
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