Wide Sargasso Sea (Penguin Modern Classics)

A classic is teared apart.A dream is shattered by the hard hands of reality.Oh Edward, Edward!Why must you be so cruel and couldn't remain the figment of my imagination?Why should you disappoint me so, when I took you as the "nallum" of my Jane?Must you be so cruel to your first "shellan" like this?Dear fates! this book will certainly make some sense to Tohr!

My all time favourite. Deconstructs the character of Bertha Mason which Charlotte Bronte presents as an antithesis to her English heroine- Jane Eyre. This book will lead you into the character of Bertha Mason, which is not even her real name and is only an European name given by her husband, Mr Rochester. All in all it’s a good book and one needs to read it if you feel that the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre wasn’t given justice.

It is a small book with just 150 pages. The print is okay not best from Collins classic. The print is very light.

The book had a wild, amazing fragrance when I got it. Thanks to Amazon ;)P.s: Reader, read "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, then open this book. Also, don't miss both the movies.

One of Rhys's best novel. She did justice to depict the reality of the hybrid people living in Jamaica and the identity Crisis they face

I'm a English literature student and i bought this for my studies about colonialism and loved the book the printing and paper is good..

The book was delivered in good condition. That was crucial as it is prescribed for college. Thanks!

great

This is an unashamedly political novel. Jean Rhys had experienced little success as a novelist until the publication of this book, which was to catapult her to the front line of English novelists and was to remain the most widely read of her novels. Although the author gives the impression that the novel sprung from simple feelings of sympathy for Bertha as she is presented in ‘Jane Eyre’, the actuality is a novel that is strongly feminist and vehemently anti-colonialist. In this respect it is very much in line with the politically correct, wokism cultural values that have been so aggressively canvassed over recent years.It is a kind of prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s novel. What we have is Rhys’ take on the circumstances of the ‘mad woman in the attic’. From her position as a Creole heiress fallen on hard times, we trace her life, significantly through many of her own words. Antoinette Cosway, as she becomes in Rhys’ book, is trapped into marriage with an English gentleman, who is to treat her with great cruelty, while indulging himself in unbridled licentiousness. In due course she accompanies Mason to England, now with the name Bertha, to be isolated in the attic of Thornfield Hall – ‘the great house’ as Antoinette refers to it. Meanwhile the substance of Bronte’s story runs parallel with Bertha’s fate. There is of course much more, including the section on Antoinette’s relationship with Grace Poole.The book was written in the 1960s, so it can be argued that it shows remarkable foresight via its political, cultural and social attitudes. At the same time, many readers are likely to find the style awkward and rather wooden. The book is probably more of a challenge to read than ‘Jane Eyre’. There is no denying that it is an important book and this edition comes in a particularly attractive form.

I'm not usually a big fan of prequels - particularly when they are written by a different author and I have enjoyed the original book. I love Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of love and redemption, so it came as a surprise to me that at the end of this book I was more sympathetic towards Edward Fairfax Rochester than I had been after reading Jane Eyre.He was tricked into marrying Antoinette (as is revealed in Jane Eyre, but there is more detail in Wide Sargasso Sea) and he didn't abandon her when her madness became apparent or have her committed to an asylum because he knew what those kind of institutions were like.In wanting to marry Jane, he didn't feel as though he was already married and committing bigamy because Bertha was no kind of a wife.I liked the way Wide Sargasso Sea gives the reader the social and historical context to the life of Rochester's first wife, how they met and how being mixed race means that she was never really accepted by black or white people in the West Indies where she was born and raised.Wide Sargasso Sea is narrated in turn by Antoinette and Mr Rochester. I liked the vivid descriptions of the landscape and the way the heat of Jamaica contrasts with the cold in Jane Eyre.I did feel it was a little disjointed in parts, but a good read for any Jane Eyre fan.

Such a good surprise!I had to read this for my book club and I was really reluctant to read a 'prequel' to my beloved "Jane Eyre", but this was beautifully written and so different in tone and setting, with a completely different energy that it was immensely enjoyable on its own merits. I did feel it added to my understanding of Mr Rochester and my enjoyment of the original book.Also, it's super short, so great for these bookclub months when everyone is really busy. No harm in being pragmatic!

I’ve read other books by the author and enjoyed them. I bought this to read a part of a reading challenge a couple of years ago as I planned to read it in conjunction with Jane Eyre. It didn’t happen and this was left on my shelf gathering dust. I haven’t read Jane Eyre so I have no idea if this would affect my reading of Wide Sargasso Sea. I really enjoyed this book. It’s similar in length and style to other books I’ve read by the author. This is a powerful book and so much is packed into such scant pages. The book is split into three parts which examine Antoinette’s life at different points before, during and when she is the mad woman in the attic, the first Mrs Rochester, touching the events and tragedy that steer the course of her life. I had such a good time with this and didn’t want the story to end. It’s very dark at times but not quite as dark as I expected.

I read this book for my reading group and found it hard going at first. It is a written in a way that is not particularly easy to read. The story content is actually better than the way it is written. It is meant to be read as a prequel to Jane Eyre, but this spoiled Rochester for me, as in Jane Eyre he's a sad but not bad man, whereas in this he is simply not a nice man. I am not a fan of modern prequels. I think it's better to leave the classics alone.