The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

Title: The Woman in White
Author: Wilkie Collins
Date Finished: Feb 8, 2009 #6
Published: 1859 Page: 498
Rating: 5/5 (not perfect, but I'm tired of holding out for perfection!)

I want to know who started the rumor that classics are awful, and dry, and boring, and dull, and dumb. Sure, I confess that I feel some belong in that category (ahem…James), but I loved The Woman in White. I will admit that it took me a little while to get into the nineteenth century language, but once I found the rhythm (and the patience to read slowly), I was swept away by the writing and the story.

The Woman in White is a collection of narratives which are strung together in order to solve a series of mysteries. The narration begins with Mr. Hartright, who is commissioned to teach two young ladies, Marion and Laura, painting. On his way to their home in Limmeridge, Hartright meets a strange, distressed woman who is dressed all in white. He helps her momentarily, and after they part, he finds that she has escaped from an insane aslyum. The rest of the novel works to explore who the woman in white is and how she relates to several other characters and events. The plot is extremely intricate and is unraveled as different narrators give their accounts of the events--thus making it difficult to neatly summarize, but making it a compelling read.

It's difficult for me to express why exactly I enjoyed this book so much. Part of the reason is because I really enjoyed getting little pieces of the puzzle from the experiences of the different narrators. This provided a richness to the story that couldn't have been achieved with an omniscient narrator, especially as I had to learn which characters I could trust to tell the whole story and to find the holes in the stories I wasn't entirely sure I could trust. Also, though, all of the different narrators gave such varied perspectives into the other characters. I got to see the everyone's eccentricities through multiple lenses. And the characters! I won't even go there because it would make this review super long, but great characters.

In addition to the narration style, I simply really enjoyed Collins' writing style. I think I might still prefer Dickens' dry wit and social commentary, but I was constantly dogearing pages and marking passages in this book. Reading this book made me miss grad school tremendously, and I was even tempted to dig out my old notes on a 19th Century Sensationalism course I took (we discussed The Moonstone) and see if I could find some old literary criticism articles I might have kept. This is the type of book that is enjoyable on its own, but I also know that there is so much hidden beneath the plot that could be picked apart. Mostly what I found interesting was the treatment of women in the novel--especially comments made on the correct roles of females and the differences in thoughts and actions that men and women have.

I could babble on and on, but I won't. There were a few lulls for me, especially with the main narration by Mr. Hartright (who I found a little dull), but overall I had a difficult time putting this one down. There are so many twists and turns that just when I thought have it all figured out, I realized that I was no where close to knowing the answers. So, if you're looking for a great mystery to read while curled up by the fire, this is your book. It is one of those pesky classics, and it is really long, but despite all of that I had such a great time with this one that it made me want to dig out some of those other classics on the shelf.

Short Story September #2 and 3: Ellison and Cheever

Since I can't participate in this fall's read-a-thon (insert infinite sadness face here), I'm having my own personal read-a-thon today (hop over to Dewey's site to read the details she recently announced). I was thinking that we would get thrashed by Ike today, but it looks like he's gone to the east of us and all we've gotten is drizzle. Of course it started AS SOON AS I opened my front door to go running this morning. Poo!! So, like Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West), I've been hiding indoors as if the water would melt me. I finished Snow Country and will have my review up later, but I also finished a couple of (or coupla) short stories.


"A COUPLA INDIANS" by RALPH WALDO ELLISON
from Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (13 pgs)

Two boys have just finished several boy scout tests in order to earn a few badges are are making their way home. Along the way they encounter a carnival and after that pass by Aunt Mackie's house--a woman who causes infinite fear within the boys: "I was afraid. For though I had seen the old woman about town all my life, she remained to me like the moon, mysterious in her own familiarity; and in the sound of her name there was terror."

The first part of the story is mostly banter between the nameless narrator and his friend Buster, who appears to be much tougher than the narrator. Buster speaks about how in addition to being a boy scout he also wants to be an Indian scout, which is apparently much more fearsome and exciting to Buster than being a boy scout. The two boys discuss the band instruments as they pass the carnival and their dialogue contains a lot of sexual innuendos despite the fact that they are only eleven.

The meat of the story, however, comes when the boys are passing Aunt Mackie's house and the narrator sees a beautiful naked young woman in the window. He is entranced by her and can't take his eyes off of her body and the way that she is dancing alone. The first section was difficult for me to get into, but once the boy sees the woman, the tone changes and while I don't really want to give any quotes from the section (I know I don't have young readers--but still), the way that the boy becomes mesmerized by the female body changes the focus of the story from the fun and play of young boys to the desires of a boy on the brink of manhood. On another note--I highly recommend The Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison (his only novel, but sections of it frequent short story anthologies--especially Battle Royale).

"THE DEATH OF JUSTINA" by JOHN CHEEVER

from The Oxford Book of American Short Stories (12 pgs)

I told Nymeth after reading her post about Cheever's stories that I would pick something up by him--that was kind of a while ago. Out of the two I read today, I think I liked this one better. I really like irony, dark humor, and social commentary and this contained all of that and more. While I don't think it is my favorite story ever, I did get a few little chuckles out of it.

The narrator (Moses) of "The Death of Justina" is your basic suburban Joe Schmo. He's said he's going to give up drinking and smoking, but when no one cares that he did he begins to steal away cigarettes and drinks martinis in the closet. When his boss asks him to write a TV advertisement of a youth elixir, he gives him a rambling garbled mess of blah. And to top it all off, when his wife's cousin, Justina, passes away on their living room couch, he finds out that because of some weird zoning rule she can't legally die or be buried where they live. Oh wait--to TOP it all off, there's really nothing he can do about the ordinance because all of the town council members are out of town.

While there was a little bit of rambliness to the story that I didn't love, it has definitely given me a taste for his work and I'll be looking for more of it. I recently got The Wapshot Scandal at a booksale, so maybe I'll start there instead of going for more short stories (since I do better with actually reading novels rather than short stories). Has anyone read it? Thoughts?

Thanks again to CB for hosting the September Short Story Challenge!

What are YOU reading this weekend? Are you staying indoors like me with a book or are you out eating up the last bits of summer?

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

Title: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Date Finished: August 17, 2008 # 47
Pages: 343
Rating: 4.25/5

It was difficult for me to read this book without my impressions on the movie Capote coloring my reaction. I was so fascinated by the movie and Capote's obsession with the crime and the killers that I had hoped some of that would leak into his writing, but I saw only one or two places where it could be argued Capote might have written himself into the book. Neither here nor there as this book was just as intriguing as the movie--only in a different way.

In Cold Blood is an in depth look at the horrific slaying of the Clutters, a prosperous and well-loved family, in the small Kansas town of Holcomb in November 1959. Four members of the family, the mother and father and their two teenage children, were tied up and shot with a shotgun after what appeared to be a failed robbery (as Mr. Clutter did not keep any money at the house). The family was found the next day by close friends.

Most of the novel moves back and forth between the two killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, as they travel around the nation after the killing and the slow-moving investigation for a crime that seemed to have no motive and absolutely no evidence. I am guessing that when Truman Capote visited Smith and Hickock several times over their years in prison he was able to get very detailed accounts of their lives because most of the book contains narratives from the killers themselves--how they planned the robbery/murder, what they did after the crime was committed, and how they saw the crime in relation to their own belief systems and who they were.

I don't read a lot of crime fiction or even true crime books, but this book was absolutely captivating--once I got into the meat of the story I couldn't put the book down. First and foremost In Cold Blood is a heartbreaking account of how a family with so much promise was senselessly and brutally murdered for what basically amounted to forty bucks. Second, in the book we get an intimate glimpse at the lives of the killers and their motives. In the end, though, I still don't see any justification for what they did--why or how someone could commit such a heinous crime.

From what I understand, Capote revolutionized the concept of the nonfiction novel. I was talking to my college roommate, who received her masters in criminal justice and who read this book a few years ago, and she mentioned that the book was interesting but only really contained the cold hard facts. I guess that is where I see differently--while the book did contain the grisly facts of what happened, it was also written as a literary work. Capote takes special care in his writing to bring the characters alive but to also create a fitting ambiance for the story. While a lot of the book is contained in quotes from interviews and other documents, Capote's writing aptly captures the setting and attitudes surrounding the story. While this book isn't going to be for everyone (and no--it isn't too gory, considering), I think that the writing and what Capote is seeking to do with this work can be appreciated by many.

Did you read it? What did you think? Here are some other reviews:
Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot
Raidergirl3 from An Adventure in Reading

My Antonia - Willa Cather

Title: My Antonia
Author: Willa Cather
Date Finished: August 11, 2008 #46
Pages: 222
Rating: 3.5/5

I so want to like this book, I really really do. Ok, I do like this book. I so wanted to love this book, really really love it, but I didn't. Maybe it's because my last read, The God of Small Things, really captured my heart and attention and the language was so rich and filling, but this one fell a little flat for me. (Going to duck now while stones are thrown my way!). :)

My Antonia, as told by the narrator Jim Burden, is the story of growing up in a small settlement of Nebraska during the eighteen hundreds (the time period isn't clear to me). After his parents pass away, young Jim travels from Virginia to Nebraska to live with his grandparents. On his journey West he meets the Shimerda family, poor Bohemian immigrants trying to make their American start in the Midwest. He befriends the family, particularly Antonia, and throughout the novel he outlines how Antonia affected his life from the time that they were children until they parted ways as adults.

Although it seems from the title that the book is mostly about Antonia, it is also about Jim as he matures from an innocent child into an educated and worldly man. It is an unassuming novel that gives a glimpse into the daily lives of the early pioneers and their struggles through the deadly cold weather, extreme poverty, and the roughness of the land. But through all of the hardships, there is also a strong sense of community that brought these unlikely friends together--through playing with each other during the summer days, teaching each other lessons, attending dances together, and most of all supporting one another through the heartaches and lonliness that is so prevalent in these pioneers' lives.

Antonia is a wonderful character--strong willed but also compassionate, she is full of life and has touched Jim's life in so many different ways. I wish I could have gotten to know Antonia a little better, but Antonia and Jim were destined for very different lives as she stayed in the frontier as he outgrew the wilderness for a more refined existence. Due to a life changing experience when Antonia is young, she is forced to work the land and give up her education so that she can provide for her younger siblings and hope that they can have a better life. Because Jim's situation is very different from Antonia's their lives begin to diverge at a young age and most of the middle of the book moves away from Antonia and the story she and Jim share.

While this was a very pleasant read and I loved loved loved Cather's descriptions of Nebraska throughout all of the different changes of season, it was a little less climactic than I was hoping for or expecting. And even though this book is about the relationships of the different characters I kept wishing that I knew more about each one. I think maybe part of the Jim's allure of Antonia, though, is her elusiveness and uniqueness--maybe qualities that he does not quite understand but is trying to capture in his thoughts. It is clear that he cares very deeply for Antonia but in many ways she remains a mystery. I want more, Ms. Cather, than the 220 pages that you have given us!!

Have you read it? What did you think? Do you have another pioneer story you'd recommend?

They read it too:
Framed at Framed and Booked
Chris at book-a-rama

A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo

Title: A Rumor of War
Author: Philip Caputo
Date Finished: June 16, 2008 #32
Pages: 356
Rating: 4.5/5

After reading Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried last fall (review here), I was eager to finally get into A Rumor of War. While the books are similar in the respect that they both discuss the Vietnam War--a war I know relatively little about, there are many differences. While O'Brien's discusses the greater aspect of the war as it affects several soldiers that the reader gets to know, A Rumor of War is Caputo's actual memoir of his year (1965-1966) in Vietnam and focuses mostly on his own experience and the experience of his specific company--Charley Company. [**I have no desire to get into the current war discussion nor express my personal beliefs--I hope none of my comments on the book are misconstrued].

Because Caputo was part of one of the first battalions to go to Vietnam, the memoir begins explaining the lofty expectations of the soldiers: "They were to a man thoroughly American, in their virtues as well as flaws: idealistic, insolent, generous, direct, violent, and provincial in the sense that they believed the ground they stood on was now forever a part of the United States simply because they stood on it" (27). The soldiers had the idea that they were going to win the war quickly. They were arrogant, bored, and impatient for fighting--and even when the fighting did come it was sparse and uneventful.

Soon, though, it became apparent that this war was not going to be the same type of war that had been fought in the past. It was as much a mental war as a physical war--a war where fear of the unknown always haunted the soldiers, a war where the elements were as dangerous as the unseen guerrillas, a war where men began to question their own purpose and the purpose of the war. By the end, Caputo explains:

"My mind shot back a decade, to that day we had marched into Vietnam, swaggering, confident, and full of idealism. We had believed we were there for a high moral purpose. But somehow our idealism was lost, our morals corrupted, and the purpose forgotten" (345).

There are so many things that were powerful about this book. And it isn't necessarily and anti-war book but rather a book explaining the psychological effects the war had on its soldiers. This war not only changed the soldiers from eager and willing soldiers to disillusioned men, but it also changed our nation to one who was willing to fight for JFK's myth of Camelot (a theme discussed throughout the novel) to one who couldn't remember what the myth was in the first place. Caputo explores the similarities between the Vietnam war and WWI--a war that changed how warfare was perceived (first trench warfare and the second guerrilla warfare), and the weapons had evolved, and how the war changed each generation permanently.

Caputo writes with beautiful and lyrical prose--sometimes even urgent prose. It is evident that he believes in what he is writing and has deliberated over what the war and his experience meant to him. I dogeared several pages and had a difficult time choosing which passages to use to depict Caputo's writing. He makes every bit of the book come to life-the beautiful and dangerous scenery of Vietnam, the fear of the soldiers, the pain and even momentary elation. There were a few times when the writing felt a little jumpy, but I feel that he is being true to the fact that he can remember what he can remember--not every detail. Some of the details in the book are rather gruesome--especially during the middle section where Caputo is "the officer in charge of the dead"--the one who keeps track of the wounded and killed.

I would recommend this book--I'm actually taking it to Dad tonight. This book makes me curious to know more about the war--especially since just a tiny slice was detailed in the book. I would be interested to know how the soldiers changed as the fighting began to change and as the soldiers began to realize more and more they were fighting a war they would not/could not win. All in all, I found A Rumor of War to be an important and and emotionally moving book.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Date Finished: June 12, 2008 #31
Pages: 226
Rating: 4.25/5

*Note: this post does contain my thoughts on the book, but I'm taking the scenic route to get there:

I heard of this book through blogging--I'm not sure that I had heard of it before then. But then my sister read it this year for her sophomore English class and a coworker listened to it and I realized I needed to pick it up soon--even given my apprehension of science fiction novels.

While at the bookstore with hubby, he expressed some interest in this one and I jumped at his interest since he hates reading. I've mentioned before that he is dyslexic and struggles with the difficulty and frustration of reading. Harry Potter was actually his first book--one that I loaned to him when we were next-door-neighbors in college.

So, we got the book and when we were driving to my dad's over Memorial Day weekend (a one a and a half hour drive each way), he suggested that I read it to him instead of reading my book to myself. Last summer I read Harry Potter 6 to him while on our various cartrips--a re-read for both of us before the new one was released--and even though reading aloud is exhausting, it makes the trip go much faster for each of us.

During that weekend and then this past weekend on our three hour cartrip to his parents house, I read much of the book to him. My mouth gets tired and I get tongue-tied, but I love love love reading to him. Because this is a part of my life that I rarely get to share with him, I revel in the moments when we can discuss the book and get excited over the same parts in the novel--speculating what will happen and exploring the themes presented. I was sad when we got home on Sunday with 40 pages left in the book, especially when he decided to finish the book without me.

The bottom line is that because I read most of this book aloud, my experience was very different from if I had read the book to myself, by myself. We got to know the characters together, I got to explore the voice of each character when trying to bring each alive. My favorite parts were when the characters were in heated discussions or when little Ender was having personal moments of crisis and both of us were able to hear the passion that comes out of the text. Although I have found that my mind wanders too much for listening to audiobooks, I have fallen in love with the experience of reading aloud.

Thanks for indulging me. :)

Ender's Game is the story of Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, a young child of six who is taken away from his family in order to attend Battle School. There he will learn the skills he needs in order to fight the Buggers who are threatening earth with destruction. He leaves behind an abusive brother and a loving sister to join a world he knows nothing about--one where he will have to grow up rather quickly.

At the Battle School, Ender is pushed to his limits, but his brilliance shines through and he quickly excels through school leading groups of other children in battle simulation--or games--and shows the adults his promise as the one who could save the human race from the Buggers. Back at home, tensions are building in the world as the Russians and the countries of the Warsaw Pact are putting pressure on the other nations. Ender has a lot resting on his shoulders--will he be The One that can save the world and defeat the Buggers? If so, will peace between the worldly nations hold or will hell break loose without the common fear of the Buggers holding the different factions together? And will it ultimately cost him his childhood?

As I mentioned before, the characters come alive in the novel. It is difficult not to fall in love with little Ender (who doesn't seem very little after he stops acting like the child he truly is)--he is vulnerable and afraid, he loves and is passionate, he feels and has hope. And while we don't get to see too much of his brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine, these characters develop throughout the novel providing a strong foil to Ender. There is also a wide cast of other characters that I loved getting to know through their interaction with Ender. Hubby and I had some great laughs over the dialogue--and we were reminded often that first and foremost, these characters were children when they called each other names such as fart eater. :)

I have two qualms with the novel. First, because I am not a visual person I had a tough time imagining some of the battle or game scenes in the novel. This is where hubby came in because he is incredibly visual. I would stop reading and he would explain to me what the students looked like while in battle. If I hadn't read these parts aloud--having to read every single word--I probably would have done a lot of skimming. I found myself doing this while reading the remainder by myself and didn't get quite as much enjoyment. Second, I was a little disappointed with the almost ending. Hubby was telling me about the huge twist, but when I got to it I wasn't surprised by it. However, a few pages later my twist came and I was rewarded with chills. We didn't agree on liking the ending, but I loved it. The ending is beautiful and hopeful (sort of) as it brought everything full circle.

So, thanks to those who reviewed it before me:

Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot
Kim from Bold.Blue.Adventure
Debi from Nothing of Importance
Raidergirl3 from An Adventure in Reading
Jeane from Dog Ear Diary

The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros and Negativity Meme

Title: The House on Mango Street
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Date Finished: March 14, 2008
Yearly Count: 13
Pages: 110
Rating: 3/5

Esperanza is a fourteen-year-old Latina whose family has just moved to a run-down flat on Mango Street in a Latino neighborhood of Chicago. The House on Mango Street is comprised of several short vignettes about Esperanza's coming of age and coming to terms with her place in society and how she yearns for change.

The book is a quick read, but it is filled with literary imagery that help explain the expectations of a poor Latina and the dreams that Esperanza has of overcoming those low expectations. I loved the ending of the book--and even pulled out my pencil to make a few notes, something I haven't done since grad school. The copy I have was marked up by a highschooler, so I didn't feel too bad about leaving my own mark. This is one that I could see myself revisiting in a few years.

NEGATIVITY MEME

Jeane at Dog Ear Diary tagged me for this meme (which I believe can originally be found at The Hidden Side of a Leaf)

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

My blog is my reading journal--I used to keep a hard copy, but I can type a lot faster than I can handwrite. Because of this, I wouldn't necessarily call what I do reviewing but rather creating a record of my thoughts for my personal use. It's just an added bonus that I've met all of you! Because of that, yes, I do say so in my blog if I don't like a book. I especially try to explain *why* I don't like a book.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

I try to be fair in my judgments. In the last review I wrote of a book I didn't like, I also explained that it was a book I didn't understand (The Left Hand of Darkness). I am not a book critic, so I am not qualified to determine whether a book is bad literature or not. So all I can do is talk about how the book made me feel and why I liked it or didn't.

3. What do you think is the best way to respond when you see a negative review about a book you enjoyed?

It happens! I would never lash out on the reviewer, though. People's opinions are so different.

4. What is your own most common reaction when you see a negative review of a book you loved or a positive review of a book you hated?

A little bit of disappointment, but again, it happens--why dwell on it? A few weeks ago I read the same book as my sister: Water for Elephants. I didn't like the book, but she loved it. I told her how I felt, but I didn't try to convince her that my reasoning was better. I felt awful that I didn't like it as much as she did, but we tried another book last week and both really liked it.

5. What is your own most common reaction when you get a comment that disagrees with your opinion of a book?

Like Jeane says, I find it interesting to read everyone's different opinions. I only had one comment that was offensive--but I have a sneaking suspicious the commenter was a lot younger and wasn't taught manners. Also, they commented that the book that I didn't *love* was their favorite book by a particular author, but it is the only one they've read by the author. Take it with a grain of salt and move on. I appreciate diversity, but I also appreciate when it is done with respect.

6. What if you don’t like a book that was a free review copy?

It hasn't happened yet because I don't get ARCs. You can't like *every* book, though.

7. What do you do if you don’t finish a book? Do you review it or not? If you review it, do you mention that you didn’t finish it?

If I don't finish a book I won't review it. Typically, though, I will pick the book up later and finish it. I don't like to leave things lingering for too long (lingering half-read, that is).

Flesh and Blood - Michael Cunningham: A Review

Title: Flesh and Blood
Author: Michael Cunningham
Date Finished: November 14, 2007
Pages: 466
Rating: 4/5

I picked this book up a few years ago at a booksale after reading The Hours. While I didn't like this book as much as I did The Hours, I thought it was a good book. The book follows the Stassos family through three generations beginning with Constantine the Greek immigrant patriarch and ending with his grandchildren almost 100 years later. Hmmm, sounds like Middlesex? Perhaps--most of the story revolved around the sex lives of the characters--first the parents Constantine and Mary then their children Susan, Billy, and Zoe and finally the grandchildren. The difference? Cunningham does not tackle delicate subjects with quite as much grace as Eugenides does. Sometimes the topics were brash, but they were also written brashly.

Nevertheless, Cunningham writes characters beautifully. This is one of the things that I really admired about The Hours, and to a lesser degree this book. Perhaps because of the time-span of the book or simply what the characters go through during the book, I felt myself being drawn into their stories and becoming invested in what happened to them even though I didn't necessarily feel sympathetic to any of them until the last third of the novel. Would I recommend it? Umm...not the best book I've read this year, but I also felt really compelled to finish it all the way through. I even shed a few tears at the end of the book. Take it on at your own risk. Definitely start with The Hours, though.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad: A Review

Title: Heart of Darkness
Author: Joseph Conrad
Pages: 96
Date Finished: June 30, 2007
Rating: 4.5/5

Don't let the number of pages fool you, this book is packed full--every word brimming with meaning. I don't pretend to fully understand this book, and I think that after reading it again (and again and again) I will still be able to pick up something I hadn't the first time around.

The tale begins with Marlow telling his fellow shipmates of his journey on the Congo River into well...the heart of darkness. Although this is a story about his journey, it is also a look into humankind, especially as Marlow is in search of the white trader, Kurtz, who seems to have crossed the line between civilization and savagery.

"They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity--like yours--the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar" (44).

Recommendation: I can't possibly do this book the justice it deserves. I would recommend this book to everyone. But, be prepared to pay attention. I can usually knock out 96 pages in a day, but I took three days to read this book, and still I wonder if I blew through it too quickly. The prose is so rich and beautiful, but also haunting. As Kurtz cries, "The horror, the horror." I will be revisiting this one again.

Review: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Title: The Awakening
Author: Kate Chopin
Date Finished: June 17, 2007
Pages: 190
Rating: 3/5

I chose to read this book because it fulfilled my 1890s decade for the By the Decades reading challenge. Well, and it had been sitting on my shelf for quite some time. Finally, I've read a few of Chopin's short stories and really enjoyed them.

This book, however, lacked much of the color that can be found in her shorter fiction. Edna, the main character, becomes bored and restless in her marriage and decides to break convention and live her own life. Much of this occurs after meeting Robert, so it is difficult to discern whether she had always been unhappy or if the emotions were sparked by the more "free" people around her.

The book follows Edna's desires and yearnings, but the question is how independent can a woman during that time period actually be? Will she be happy? I hate to ruin an ending, so I won't.

Recommendation: The book is short and very easy to read. As you can see by my rating, I thought the book just OK. I think that Chopin's short stories show much more passion and life. The Awakening seemed a little dull to me.