The Awakening

By Kate Chopin,

Book cover of The Awakening

Book description

The Awakening, originally titled A Solitary Soul, is a novel by Kate Chopin, first published in 1899. Set in New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the nineteenth century, the plot centers on Edna Pontellier and her struggle to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Awakening as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Edna Pontellier may not be as famous as Daisy Buchanan or Elizabeth Bennet, but her emotional depth rivals that of Hester Prynne and Anna Karenina.

What makes The Awakening especially powerful is its portrayal of Edna’s struggle through the lens of a female author, Kate Chopin. Edna's fight for freedom from rigid societal expectations feels deeply resonant and personal.

I love how the narrative provides an intimate connection to Edna's inner world, allowing me to witness her clash with the unyielding norms of her time. While I sympathize with Edna’s plight, I’m also grateful for the choices I have today.…

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Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

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