Very scholarly version of what could be a quick and interesting prequel. If you enjoy literary criticism, you will like this edition. The footnotes were distracting for me although it is nice to know the details of how it was written.
Annie C. (anniechanse) reviewed Wide Sargasso Sea (Norton Critical Edition) on + 35 more book reviews
***May contain spoilers***
I was less impressed with this novel than I would have hoped. Normally, I love reading the 'other side' stories. All the Gregory Maguire novels which tell the stories of fairy tale villains? I adore those stories. So, when I realized that Rhys had written this novel telling the story of the crazy wife whom Rochester kept hidden away in the attic, I was very excited.
Sadly, I was disappointed. It is a short novel; the copy I had was only 112 pages worth of actual story, and of those 112 pages, the majority of them are about 'Bertha' and her life before she came to England. That is interesting, of course, but I would have liked more of the story of her life in solitude. Furthermore, the ending is stale and falls much too flat to make an impact.
I was less impressed with this novel than I would have hoped. Normally, I love reading the 'other side' stories. All the Gregory Maguire novels which tell the stories of fairy tale villains? I adore those stories. So, when I realized that Rhys had written this novel telling the story of the crazy wife whom Rochester kept hidden away in the attic, I was very excited.
Sadly, I was disappointed. It is a short novel; the copy I had was only 112 pages worth of actual story, and of those 112 pages, the majority of them are about 'Bertha' and her life before she came to England. That is interesting, of course, but I would have liked more of the story of her life in solitude. Furthermore, the ending is stale and falls much too flat to make an impact.
Simone W. (mamawaite) reviewed Wide Sargasso Sea (Norton Critical Edition) on + 175 more book reviews
Loved it
