![]() The tensions between the white creoles (descendants of slave owners born in the Caribbean) and the black community of former slaves is handled deftly. The haunting writing style, with sparse, abrupt quizzical sentences, echoes the gothic Jane Eyre and beautifully demonstrates the characters’ descents into madness. GOOD BITS: First published in 1966, Wide Sargasso Sea feels extraordinarily contemporary yet has the trippy, experimental style of its age. However, I found myself working hard to get through some sections instead of enjoying the narrative. Born to a white Creole mother and Welsh father in 1890, the novel draws on Jean Rhys’s upbringing in Dominica. There are many wonderful things about this short book and I loved learning about the author. RATING: The concept for this novel immediately grabbed me but I’m only giving it three and a half stars. ![]() ![]() Her stepfather sets Antoinette up with a decent fortune to attract a young Englishman and the majority of the novel focusses on the deterioration of her marriage during their honeymoon. White descendants of slave owners, Antoinette’s family is initially impoverished after emancipation until her mother remarries. Set in Jamaica in the 1830’s, it starts with the disturbing childhood of Antoinette (Bertha) Cosway. THE PLOT: Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is a retelling of Jane Eyre from the point of view of Mr Rochester’s first wife – the mad woman in the attic. ![]()
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