Andrea reviewed Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Review of 'Wide Sargasso Sea' on Goodreads
5 stars
A validation that Rochester is forever a dick, and imperialism destroys people.
Hardcover, 189 pages
English language
Published Jan. 1, 1966 by Buccaneer Books.
"Novel by Jean Rhys, published in 1966. A well-received work of fiction, it takes its theme from the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The book details the life of Antoinette Mason (known in Jane Eyre as Bertha), a West Indian who marries an unnamed man in Jamaica and returns with him to his home in England. Locked in a loveless marriage and settled in an inhospitable climate, Antoinette goes mad and is frequently violent. Her husband confines her to the attic of his house at Thornfield. Only he and Grace Poole, the attendant he has hired to care for her, know of Antoinette's existence. The reader gradually learns that Antoinette's unnamed husband is Mr. Rochester, later to become the beloved of Jane Eyre. Much of the action of the novel takes place in the West Indies. The first and third sections are narrated by Antoinette, the middle section by …
"Novel by Jean Rhys, published in 1966. A well-received work of fiction, it takes its theme from the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The book details the life of Antoinette Mason (known in Jane Eyre as Bertha), a West Indian who marries an unnamed man in Jamaica and returns with him to his home in England. Locked in a loveless marriage and settled in an inhospitable climate, Antoinette goes mad and is frequently violent. Her husband confines her to the attic of his house at Thornfield. Only he and Grace Poole, the attendant he has hired to care for her, know of Antoinette's existence. The reader gradually learns that Antoinette's unnamed husband is Mr. Rochester, later to become the beloved of Jane Eyre. Much of the action of the novel takes place in the West Indies. The first and third sections are narrated by Antoinette, the middle section by her husband."
A validation that Rochester is forever a dick, and imperialism destroys people.
A novel that twists and turns suddenly in how you understand the perspective of the characters. I read this without a knowledge of Jane Eyre and the original characters, and found it alone a compelling study on character and prejudice. Excellent writing throughout.
Stunning subversion of Jane Eyre, but also a wonderful novel in its own right. The prose is powerful and uncompromising.