I still thought it was a very good book. I think it casts a spell from the first page--trapped in a decaying paradise, a smothering sense of dread. It reminded me of the time that we took a family vacation to New Orleans, and dad insisted we spend the night at an awful motel under the highway and next to the superdome, and I spent the entire night wondering when we would be murdered. The book was so vivid and interesting that it really made me wonder about that time in history. And I like how Rhys depicted both the female and male protagonists descending into madness in parallel--the difference being that when the man goes mad, he picks up and leaves, getting away from all the madness-inducing things in his life so he can get better and start a new life. And when the women in the story go mad, they are shut away like prisoners and abused. Ben had better never try to shut me away in an attic!
It did make me think that our treatment of people with psychiatric disorders hasn't changed much. Even if somebody wasn't having psychiatric trouble, if you consign them to permanent isolation or stick them in a place far from loved ones with other people that have major problems, all while drugging them, they are going to develop those troubles quickly. It makes you wonder how much things have really changed since the 1830s.
-Kristin
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys was an incredibly quick read - a very good thing since the end of the year is fast approaching and I've still got 20 books to go towards my yearly goal!
I remember hearing my mom talk about the book in the past. A prequel to Jane Eyre where you find out the story of the crazy wife locked away. Despite everyone else seeming to love it, I just thought it was okay. Definitely an interesting take on her past, though. I think it was hard for me to read a prequel to a book that wasn't written in the same manner and vernacular.
For those of you out there who read it, do you think the fever Rochester got ruined his brain permanently and that's why he went so crazy? Did Jane end up marrying a lunatic? Serves her right for being such a lame-oid!
- Megan Leigh
8 comments:
What if you look at it like a book just on its own about Haiti at that time and not a prequel? Would you like it better then?
I read another one that took place during that time period and found it good, too.
Well, I thought the writing was kind of awkward. I don't think there were any contractions, so it seemed very stiff and unrealistic.
It has been so long since I read it that I can't fight for it. It just left with the feeling I really liked something about it. Wasn't there some voodoo and stuff in it?
Love the part about having to stay in the hotel in New Orleans. I remember the stories from that hotel. Did it have a bunch of spiders or was that Chicago? We were getting reports from Megan when she would call Grammy. Somehow Dad's have a knack for picking these places to stay or eat. I remember a road side stop picnic where the ceiling of the pavillion was covered with roaches (possibly also in New Orleans so I guess they were palmetto bugs - just as gross). There wasn't a space in between the bugs to even see the pavillion. Grandpa expected us to happily eat our stale balogna sandwiches there. (I refused and sat in the car and when I went to take a drink of my soda there was a spider on the can!)
We stayed in another really scary New Orleans motel, too. But the one by the overpass was really, really the worst.
Yes, Chicago was the spider trip.
I remember the pavilion, too. I think we girls all stayed and ate in the car. Mom and dad looked very calm having lunch their under the pavilion. On the plus side, we got to go on vacations and lots of kids didn't.
This must have been Pensacola. That entire trip was awful. The black water in Alabama. The palmetto bug pavillion. You cut your foot. The millions of jelly fish.
I forgot to say I'm glad to hear that you liked the book. I think I would still love it.
We should write the chronicles of our family vacations.
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