booklvrkat's review against another edition
5.0
So, on December 31st, Oprahs Book Club challenged bookworms to “shake up our reading list by exploring a beloved bestseller or a well-kept secret from the year you came into the world”. I was ready for the shake up, but I was very unprepared for this story. It is almost lyrical in the telling. And I must admit, I did not understand it, so a friend recommended I get a Spark note for some insight. WOW, just WOW. There is so much symbolism that I did not see and failed to reach deeper within my reading to discover it. I will admit I have never read Jane Eyre, but I am going to add it to my TBR because now I am very interested to see where Wide Sargasso Sea fits in.
There are several amazing reviews already written about our MC, and I cannot say more or better.
There are several amazing reviews already written about our MC, and I cannot say more or better.
ilybinaya's review against another edition
3.0
It was more of a standalone piece when solely looking into the lines of this book. It was purely about colonialism, racism, and perhaps even about feminism in the early days, being shaded as madness. But the whole thing is flat, and the language is just so, making the narrative seemingly so bland and lack of colour in the sense which not much sentiment could be aroused, as so did the independency of women simmered down under the light of the societal background. This makes the book completely unpalpable to me.
richardpierce's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting. Very modern style for when it was written. It puts a very different perspective on Jane Eyre. Definitely worth reading whether or not you've already read Jane Eyre.
rosie_06's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lucy_pip's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
tjwallace04's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was my second time reading "Wide Sargasso Sea," and I found it just as beautiful, powerful, and thought-provoking. It is almost impossible to think about Bertha's character in "Jane Eyre" the same way after reading Jean Rhys' lyrical, dreamlike reimagining of her childhood and the early days of her marriage to Rochester.
The writing is lush. The characters are complicated and interesting and often unfathomable, just like real people. The Caribbean setting is so vivid that it is almost a character itself. Seriously, reading this book is like a fever dream...but the kind that settles into your soul and changes who you are just a little bit.
There are tiny moments in "Wide Sargasso Sea" that are so intense they made my heart ache. For example, when the unnamed husband starts calling Antoinette "Bertha"...[shivers]. The power dynamics and abuse and love and despair, all twisted together, are a lot to take in. But it is worth it! Unless you idolize Mr. Rochester as the perfect Byronic hero and romantic lead...then you may not want to read this book. Because I don't think you can look at him the same afterwards either.
The writing is lush. The characters are complicated and interesting and often unfathomable, just like real people. The Caribbean setting is so vivid that it is almost a character itself. Seriously, reading this book is like a fever dream...but the kind that settles into your soul and changes who you are just a little bit.
There are tiny moments in "Wide Sargasso Sea" that are so intense they made my heart ache. For example, when the unnamed husband starts calling Antoinette "Bertha"...[shivers]. The power dynamics and abuse and love and despair, all twisted together, are a lot to take in. But it is worth it! Unless you idolize Mr. Rochester as the perfect Byronic hero and romantic lead...then you may not want to read this book. Because I don't think you can look at him the same afterwards either.
yak_attak's review against another edition
3.0
Sadly this is one that mostly wiffed right over my head and didn't work - I see the brilliance, in Rhys's flittering prose, and sharp unflinching look at barely-post-slavery Jamaica, racial dynamics and tension, gender dynamics and tension, and the dynamics between master and servant are fascinating.
This is rightly praised as a great, important book, but it just wasn't one that connected either. The detail in the moment is foregrounded, the story is pushed into the back, and it becomes a mix of sensory detail that becomes hard to follow or take much importance from. Moreover, I think that the book's concept as a take on Bronte's Jane Eyre is almost unnecessary and doesn't really add a lot to what's being done - it's an interesting concept, but the follow through doesn't add anything the novel wasn't already doing anyhow.
I don't think the Bronte association is a bad starting point or reason to jump in, but know that if you're looking for something that "fixes" Jane Eyre, that's not what this is. If you're looking for something that uses that lens to develop a look at colonialism in the world (and in the family), then you'll be well served.
This is rightly praised as a great, important book, but it just wasn't one that connected either. The detail in the moment is foregrounded, the story is pushed into the back, and it becomes a mix of sensory detail that becomes hard to follow or take much importance from. Moreover, I think that the book's concept as a take on Bronte's Jane Eyre is almost unnecessary and doesn't really add a lot to what's being done - it's an interesting concept, but the follow through doesn't add anything the novel wasn't already doing anyhow.
I don't think the Bronte association is a bad starting point or reason to jump in, but know that if you're looking for something that "fixes" Jane Eyre, that's not what this is. If you're looking for something that uses that lens to develop a look at colonialism in the world (and in the family), then you'll be well served.
kasijordan's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this novel. I read it for a women's literature class back in college and was excited because I love reading side characters' points of view, and this one did not disappoint. The character in Jane Eyre is very much swept under the rug but in Wide Sargasso Sea our "other woman" was given a voice and it was a beautiful and tragic origin story to say the least.
Not only does Rhys give her a voice in Wide Sargasso Sea but she also gives such great perspective to the time and culture on it's own.
If you have read Jane Eyre, or you haven't and just want to read a tragic story of a woman swept up by colonialism and her own mind, I highly recommend this novel.
Not only does Rhys give her a voice in Wide Sargasso Sea but she also gives such great perspective to the time and culture on it's own.
If you have read Jane Eyre, or you haven't and just want to read a tragic story of a woman swept up by colonialism and her own mind, I highly recommend this novel.