Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Superb and incredibly inventive prequel to Jane Eyre, 06 Aug 2007
The Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway/ Bertha Mason, the mad first wife of Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

It tells her story, as the marginalised outsider, and shows how she came to be locked in a grey tower in England, guarded night and day, and despised and feared by her husband, from her childhood roots in the Caribbean.

It is a brilliant book, atmospheric, passionate and political; still as relevant as when it was first written. It stands alone, without having read Jane Eyre, despite its brevity. However, it is in the context of Jane Eyre that it is really best understood.

It is always audacious to take on a classic novel in this way, but Wide Sargasso Sea does so imaginatively and sympathetically, creating characters that have a life of their own, beyond Bronte's text.

A great book that gives in depth view into the mind of "Bertha", 26 Jun 2007
Even thought I didn't enjoy the film too much the book itself is phenomenal. The story of Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is a not only a brilliant deconstruction of Charlotte Bront's legacy, but is also a damning history of colonialism in the West Indies. This novel addresses the issue of race and culture, but it also addresses the inner thought processes of a woman confronted with cultural chaos between the Creole, Jamaican, and British in the Caribbean.

Told from different points of view, the text is a tapestry weaving Bertha's story with Edward Rochester's early life. Like the seaweed the book is named for, the structure floats in and out of artistic consciousness as though on a sea of many unwritten stories. Although some might argue that "Wide Sargasso Sea," detracts from "Jane Eyre," I feel that Jean Rhys gives us a fuller understanding about the cultural historiography that produces "great literature." As a champion for the silenced voices, Charlotte Bront herself was all too aware of societies' injustices.

While today, "Jane Eyre" is generally accepted as a tract on social class, feminism, and conscious production of art, 150 years ago, Bront was lambasted by contemporary critics as unchristian, seditious and a poor writer. I can not help but think Bront, as social critic, would have cheered the publication of "Wide Sargasso Sea." A wonderful book for anyone studying Latin America or the Caribbean.


Caribbean then and now, 17 Nov 2006
I re-read this upon finding it - along with Phyllis Shand Allfrey's The Orchid House - on a bookshelf a decade after first buying and reading both. They both depict a colonial way of life which has come to an end. Wide Sargasso Sea is quite simply an exquisite portrayal of Jamaica and the other un-named island which the newly-weds travel to and albeit short, a marvellous novel. Jane Eyre was an must for O-level but I never warmed to her, unlike Antoinette, whose story is tragic and still an enigma in the novel. Who really made her insane?...

Mad women in the attic, 31 Jul 2006
This is a story from the point of view of the 'mad women' in Jane Eyre. I found it all consuming and couldn't put it down. Don't worry if you haven't read JA it's still a fantastic book and if you are a JA fan, don't feel it will detract from that wonderful novel, as the 2 can be read exclusively of each other. Either way, you will be left wondering, was his wife mad, or did Mr Rochester make her that way?

Makes you think..., 30 Jul 2005
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte`s Jane Eyre.
It is a very short book but it is very moving,readable and beautifully written.Jean Rhys uses descriptions about Jamacia which conjer up it`s smells and sights so you feel that you are actually there.
The narrative displacement is easy to keep track of as it is only between Mr Rochester and his mad bride(who is actually called Antoniette by the way).Antoniette is easy to sympathise with especially in the first and final parts as they are told by her.If you have read Jane Eyre before you will see her in a different light and even care about her.
However I will not spoil this fantastic book.I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first as you will appreciate it better,but even if you haven`t I still recommend.
I am now waiting to read Quartet also by Jean Rhys.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Superb and incredibly inventive prequel to Jane Eyre, 06 Aug 2007
The Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway/ Bertha Mason, the mad first wife of Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

It tells her story, as the marginalised outsider, and shows how she came to be locked in a grey tower in England, guarded night and day, and despised and feared by her husband, from her childhood roots in the Caribbean.

It is a brilliant book, atmospheric, passionate and political; still as relevant as when it was first written. It stands alone, without having read Jane Eyre, despite its brevity. However, it is in the context of Jane Eyre that it is really best understood.

It is always audacious to take on a classic novel in this way, but Wide Sargasso Sea does so imaginatively and sympathetically, creating characters that have a life of their own, beyond Bronte's text.

A great book that gives in depth view into the mind of "Bertha", 26 Jun 2007
Even thought I didn't enjoy the film too much the book itself is phenomenal. The story of Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is a not only a brilliant deconstruction of Charlotte Bront's legacy, but is also a damning history of colonialism in the West Indies. This novel addresses the issue of race and culture, but it also addresses the inner thought processes of a woman confronted with cultural chaos between the Creole, Jamaican, and British in the Caribbean.

Told from different points of view, the text is a tapestry weaving Bertha's story with Edward Rochester's early life. Like the seaweed the book is named for, the structure floats in and out of artistic consciousness as though on a sea of many unwritten stories. Although some might argue that "Wide Sargasso Sea," detracts from "Jane Eyre," I feel that Jean Rhys gives us a fuller understanding about the cultural historiography that produces "great literature." As a champion for the silenced voices, Charlotte Bront herself was all too aware of societies' injustices.

While today, "Jane Eyre" is generally accepted as a tract on social class, feminism, and conscious production of art, 150 years ago, Bront was lambasted by contemporary critics as unchristian, seditious and a poor writer. I can not help but think Bront, as social critic, would have cheered the publication of "Wide Sargasso Sea." A wonderful book for anyone studying Latin America or the Caribbean.


Caribbean then and now, 17 Nov 2006
I re-read this upon finding it - along with Phyllis Shand Allfrey's The Orchid House - on a bookshelf a decade after first buying and reading both. They both depict a colonial way of life which has come to an end. Wide Sargasso Sea is quite simply an exquisite portrayal of Jamaica and the other un-named island which the newly-weds travel to and albeit short, a marvellous novel. Jane Eyre was an must for O-level but I never warmed to her, unlike Antoinette, whose story is tragic and still an enigma in the novel. Who really made her insane?...

Mad women in the attic, 31 Jul 2006
This is a story from the point of view of the 'mad women' in Jane Eyre. I found it all consuming and couldn't put it down. Don't worry if you haven't read JA it's still a fantastic book and if you are a JA fan, don't feel it will detract from that wonderful novel, as the 2 can be read exclusively of each other. Either way, you will be left wondering, was his wife mad, or did Mr Rochester make her that way?

Makes you think..., 30 Jul 2005
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte`s Jane Eyre.
It is a very short book but it is very moving,readable and beautifully written.Jean Rhys uses descriptions about Jamacia which conjer up it`s smells and sights so you feel that you are actually there.
The narrative displacement is easy to keep track of as it is only between Mr Rochester and his mad bride(who is actually called Antoniette by the way).Antoniette is easy to sympathise with especially in the first and final parts as they are told by her.If you have read Jane Eyre before you will see her in a different light and even care about her.
However I will not spoil this fantastic book.I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first as you will appreciate it better,but even if you haven`t I still recommend.
I am now waiting to read Quartet also by Jean Rhys.

Excellent, 11 Oct 2008
For me this book combines the highest integrity of the modernist enterprise with the pervasive pessimism of emergent postmodernism. Rhys's character is first and foremost a suffering human being; although a byproduct of the enormous changes in society for women in the 1920s and 1930s, this woman's dissolution and isolation is a literary triumph. With no feminist agenda and without aspiring to the obscure or difficult experimentation of other modernists, Rhys portrays the decline of a person no longer equipped to deal with the intrusion of society into their disintegrating personal life. Are the vultures really gathering, or is this just her perception of life? How honest a portrayal of the social outcast - the destitute, the alcoholic, the fallen woman, the ageing woman, the victim. Has anyone written like this, before Rhys or since?

Good Morning, Midnight, 20 Jul 2007
A bleak, compelling novel, detailing the despair of someone who has been battered and bruised by life. A strong element of how someone's problems can prevent them from ever taking an opportunity for happiness or emotional connection with another human being.

Recommended read from an author who has in my opinion written far better than Wide Sargasso Sea.

romanticism and loneliness of a Parisian gutter life, 31 May 2005
Paris is the city to get lost and drunk in. This can be seen by the amount of literature concerned with these two essential elements of life, and Jean Rhys has conjured up an exquisite example of the stream of consciouness 'life in the gutter' tale of a girl lost and alone.

At just the right length the novel concerns Sophia who has returned to Paris after an abscence in an attempt to rebuild her life. Unfortunately her life starts the spiral downwards as she wanders the streets and rests in the bars thinking of her past life and the events which have brought her this far.

In equal parts tragic and compelling this is an essential read for anyone who feels like drifting, drinking and dreaming.

so good it hurts, 16 Apr 2003
and it really hurts. this book is beautifully bleak. it is a journey through a lost womens mind and memory and self loathing. it builds up and breaks down so well, so poetically, so perfectly, that by the end you are affected deeply and longing to step back into this book and offer something to this perfectly dejected character. don't get me wrong, you won't come out of this suicidal, but you will come out of it very involved and moved

Delicately Violent, 14 Nov 2002
It is no wonder that after the publication of this novel people assumed Jean Rhys had committed suicide. It is a dark, introverted, soul-searching novel. It's brilliance lies in the compassion with which Sasha is treated. This is a woman who is unquestionably at the end of her tether. Life occurs almost unconsciously to her. She drinks non-stop and thinks of fashion before eating. But these aren't superficial choices. They are the few soft whispers of a woman about to go over the brink. Throughout the novel you are given brief glimpses of her past as a shop assistant and the troubles in her marriage. In themselves the troubles which result from them are not ample enough to drive a normal woman to such desperation. You feel that the reason for her state of mind is more the result of a profound neglect of her individual spirit by men. She is led on to believe in a progression of being, but is abandoned to clutch at the ghosts of her old haunts in Paris. This is a sharp contrast to the ideas that we have about artistic scene of Paris in this time period. It is a more sincerely concentrated personal experience than most accounts. It is interesting to think of the end in contrast to the jubilant yeses of Molly Bloom in Ulysses. Sasha's yes is one of doom and resignation to a world that has flown past her.

Despite its depressing character, this novel is a fascinating look at a tendency to sink into a psychological state often ignored. It is also a subtle portrayal of an identity built on a knife's edge. Luckily, Ms Rhys did survive this novel (however unhappily). It is a miracle that she did considering the violent lack of self worth of Sasha; to have imagined such a person must have been terrifying indeed.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Superb and incredibly inventive prequel to Jane Eyre, 06 Aug 2007
The Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway/ Bertha Mason, the mad first wife of Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

It tells her story, as the marginalised outsider, and shows how she came to be locked in a grey tower in England, guarded night and day, and despised and feared by her husband, from her childhood roots in the Caribbean.

It is a brilliant book, atmospheric, passionate and political; still as relevant as when it was first written. It stands alone, without having read Jane Eyre, despite its brevity. However, it is in the context of Jane Eyre that it is really best understood.

It is always audacious to take on a classic novel in this way, but Wide Sargasso Sea does so imaginatively and sympathetically, creating characters that have a life of their own, beyond Bronte's text.

A great book that gives in depth view into the mind of "Bertha", 26 Jun 2007
Even thought I didn't enjoy the film too much the book itself is phenomenal. The story of Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is a not only a brilliant deconstruction of Charlotte Bront's legacy, but is also a damning history of colonialism in the West Indies. This novel addresses the issue of race and culture, but it also addresses the inner thought processes of a woman confronted with cultural chaos between the Creole, Jamaican, and British in the Caribbean.

Told from different points of view, the text is a tapestry weaving Bertha's story with Edward Rochester's early life. Like the seaweed the book is named for, the structure floats in and out of artistic consciousness as though on a sea of many unwritten stories. Although some might argue that "Wide Sargasso Sea," detracts from "Jane Eyre," I feel that Jean Rhys gives us a fuller understanding about the cultural historiography that produces "great literature." As a champion for the silenced voices, Charlotte Bront herself was all too aware of societies' injustices.

While today, "Jane Eyre" is generally accepted as a tract on social class, feminism, and conscious production of art, 150 years ago, Bront was lambasted by contemporary critics as unchristian, seditious and a poor writer. I can not help but think Bront, as social critic, would have cheered the publication of "Wide Sargasso Sea." A wonderful book for anyone studying Latin America or the Caribbean.


Caribbean then and now, 17 Nov 2006
I re-read this upon finding it - along with Phyllis Shand Allfrey's The Orchid House - on a bookshelf a decade after first buying and reading both. They both depict a colonial way of life which has come to an end. Wide Sargasso Sea is quite simply an exquisite portrayal of Jamaica and the other un-named island which the newly-weds travel to and albeit short, a marvellous novel. Jane Eyre was an must for O-level but I never warmed to her, unlike Antoinette, whose story is tragic and still an enigma in the novel. Who really made her insane?...

Mad women in the attic, 31 Jul 2006
This is a story from the point of view of the 'mad women' in Jane Eyre. I found it all consuming and couldn't put it down. Don't worry if you haven't read JA it's still a fantastic book and if you are a JA fan, don't feel it will detract from that wonderful novel, as the 2 can be read exclusively of each other. Either way, you will be left wondering, was his wife mad, or did Mr Rochester make her that way?

Makes you think..., 30 Jul 2005
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte`s Jane Eyre.
It is a very short book but it is very moving,readable and beautifully written.Jean Rhys uses descriptions about Jamacia which conjer up it`s smells and sights so you feel that you are actually there.
The narrative displacement is easy to keep track of as it is only between Mr Rochester and his mad bride(who is actually called Antoniette by the way).Antoniette is easy to sympathise with especially in the first and final parts as they are told by her.If you have read Jane Eyre before you will see her in a different light and even care about her.
However I will not spoil this fantastic book.I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first as you will appreciate it better,but even if you haven`t I still recommend.
I am now waiting to read Quartet also by Jean Rhys.

Excellent, 11 Oct 2008
For me this book combines the highest integrity of the modernist enterprise with the pervasive pessimism of emergent postmodernism. Rhys's character is first and foremost a suffering human being; although a byproduct of the enormous changes in society for women in the 1920s and 1930s, this woman's dissolution and isolation is a literary triumph. With no feminist agenda and without aspiring to the obscure or difficult experimentation of other modernists, Rhys portrays the decline of a person no longer equipped to deal with the intrusion of society into their disintegrating personal life. Are the vultures really gathering, or is this just her perception of life? How honest a portrayal of the social outcast - the destitute, the alcoholic, the fallen woman, the ageing woman, the victim. Has anyone written like this, before Rhys or since?

Good Morning, Midnight, 20 Jul 2007
A bleak, compelling novel, detailing the despair of someone who has been battered and bruised by life. A strong element of how someone's problems can prevent them from ever taking an opportunity for happiness or emotional connection with another human being.

Recommended read from an author who has in my opinion written far better than Wide Sargasso Sea.

romanticism and loneliness of a Parisian gutter life, 31 May 2005
Paris is the city to get lost and drunk in. This can be seen by the amount of literature concerned with these two essential elements of life, and Jean Rhys has conjured up an exquisite example of the stream of consciouness 'life in the gutter' tale of a girl lost and alone.

At just the right length the novel concerns Sophia who has returned to Paris after an abscence in an attempt to rebuild her life. Unfortunately her life starts the spiral downwards as she wanders the streets and rests in the bars thinking of her past life and the events which have brought her this far.

In equal parts tragic and compelling this is an essential read for anyone who feels like drifting, drinking and dreaming.

so good it hurts, 16 Apr 2003
and it really hurts. this book is beautifully bleak. it is a journey through a lost womens mind and memory and self loathing. it builds up and breaks down so well, so poetically, so perfectly, that by the end you are affected deeply and longing to step back into this book and offer something to this perfectly dejected character. don't get me wrong, you won't come out of this suicidal, but you will come out of it very involved and moved

Delicately Violent, 14 Nov 2002
It is no wonder that after the publication of this novel people assumed Jean Rhys had committed suicide. It is a dark, introverted, soul-searching novel. It's brilliance lies in the compassion with which Sasha is treated. This is a woman who is unquestionably at the end of her tether. Life occurs almost unconsciously to her. She drinks non-stop and thinks of fashion before eating. But these aren't superficial choices. They are the few soft whispers of a woman about to go over the brink. Throughout the novel you are given brief glimpses of her past as a shop assistant and the troubles in her marriage. In themselves the troubles which result from them are not ample enough to drive a normal woman to such desperation. You feel that the reason for her state of mind is more the result of a profound neglect of her individual spirit by men. She is led on to believe in a progression of being, but is abandoned to clutch at the ghosts of her old haunts in Paris. This is a sharp contrast to the ideas that we have about artistic scene of Paris in this time period. It is a more sincerely concentrated personal experience than most accounts. It is interesting to think of the end in contrast to the jubilant yeses of Molly Bloom in Ulysses. Sasha's yes is one of doom and resignation to a world that has flown past her.

Despite its depressing character, this novel is a fascinating look at a tendency to sink into a psychological state often ignored. It is also a subtle portrayal of an identity built on a knife's edge. Luckily, Ms Rhys did survive this novel (however unhappily). It is a miracle that she did considering the violent lack of self worth of Sasha; to have imagined such a person must have been terrifying indeed.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Superb and incredibly inventive prequel to Jane Eyre, 06 Aug 2007
The Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway/ Bertha Mason, the mad first wife of Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

It tells her story, as the marginalised outsider, and shows how she came to be locked in a grey tower in England, guarded night and day, and despised and feared by her husband, from her childhood roots in the Caribbean.

It is a brilliant book, atmospheric, passionate and political; still as relevant as when it was first written. It stands alone, without having read Jane Eyre, despite its brevity. However, it is in the context of Jane Eyre that it is really best understood.

It is always audacious to take on a classic novel in this way, but Wide Sargasso Sea does so imaginatively and sympathetically, creating characters that have a life of their own, beyond Bronte's text.

A great book that gives in depth view into the mind of "Bertha", 26 Jun 2007
Even thought I didn't enjoy the film too much the book itself is phenomenal. The story of Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is a not only a brilliant deconstruction of Charlotte Bront's legacy, but is also a damning history of colonialism in the West Indies. This novel addresses the issue of race and culture, but it also addresses the inner thought processes of a woman confronted with cultural chaos between the Creole, Jamaican, and British in the Caribbean.

Told from different points of view, the text is a tapestry weaving Bertha's story with Edward Rochester's early life. Like the seaweed the book is named for, the structure floats in and out of artistic consciousness as though on a sea of many unwritten stories. Although some might argue that "Wide Sargasso Sea," detracts from "Jane Eyre," I feel that Jean Rhys gives us a fuller understanding about the cultural historiography that produces "great literature." As a champion for the silenced voices, Charlotte Bront herself was all too aware of societies' injustices.

While today, "Jane Eyre" is generally accepted as a tract on social class, feminism, and conscious production of art, 150 years ago, Bront was lambasted by contemporary critics as unchristian, seditious and a poor writer. I can not help but think Bront, as social critic, would have cheered the publication of "Wide Sargasso Sea." A wonderful book for anyone studying Latin America or the Caribbean.


Caribbean then and now, 17 Nov 2006
I re-read this upon finding it - along with Phyllis Shand Allfrey's The Orchid House - on a bookshelf a decade after first buying and reading both. They both depict a colonial way of life which has come to an end. Wide Sargasso Sea is quite simply an exquisite portrayal of Jamaica and the other un-named island which the newly-weds travel to and albeit short, a marvellous novel. Jane Eyre was an must for O-level but I never warmed to her, unlike Antoinette, whose story is tragic and still an enigma in the novel. Who really made her insane?...

Mad women in the attic, 31 Jul 2006
This is a story from the point of view of the 'mad women' in Jane Eyre. I found it all consuming and couldn't put it down. Don't worry if you haven't read JA it's still a fantastic book and if you are a JA fan, don't feel it will detract from that wonderful novel, as the 2 can be read exclusively of each other. Either way, you will be left wondering, was his wife mad, or did Mr Rochester make her that way?

Makes you think..., 30 Jul 2005
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte`s Jane Eyre.
It is a very short book but it is very moving,readable and beautifully written.Jean Rhys uses descriptions about Jamacia which conjer up it`s smells and sights so you feel that you are actually there.
The narrative displacement is easy to keep track of as it is only between Mr Rochester and his mad bride(who is actually called Antoniette by the way).Antoniette is easy to sympathise with especially in the first and final parts as they are told by her.If you have read Jane Eyre before you will see her in a different light and even care about her.
However I will not spoil this fantastic book.I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first as you will appreciate it better,but even if you haven`t I still recommend.
I am now waiting to read Quartet also by Jean Rhys.

Excellent, 11 Oct 2008
For me this book combines the highest integrity of the modernist enterprise with the pervasive pessimism of emergent postmodernism. Rhys's character is first and foremost a suffering human being; although a byproduct of the enormous changes in society for women in the 1920s and 1930s, this woman's dissolution and isolation is a literary triumph. With no feminist agenda and without aspiring to the obscure or difficult experimentation of other modernists, Rhys portrays the decline of a person no longer equipped to deal with the intrusion of society into their disintegrating personal life. Are the vultures really gathering, or is this just her perception of life? How honest a portrayal of the social outcast - the destitute, the alcoholic, the fallen woman, the ageing woman, the victim. Has anyone written like this, before Rhys or since?

Good Morning, Midnight, 20 Jul 2007
A bleak, compelling novel, detailing the despair of someone who has been battered and bruised by life. A strong element of how someone's problems can prevent them from ever taking an opportunity for happiness or emotional connection with another human being.

Recommended read from an author who has in my opinion written far better than Wide Sargasso Sea.

romanticism and loneliness of a Parisian gutter life, 31 May 2005
Paris is the city to get lost and drunk in. This can be seen by the amount of literature concerned with these two essential elements of life, and Jean Rhys has conjured up an exquisite example of the stream of consciouness 'life in the gutter' tale of a girl lost and alone.

At just the right length the novel concerns Sophia who has returned to Paris after an abscence in an attempt to rebuild her life. Unfortunately her life starts the spiral downwards as she wanders the streets and rests in the bars thinking of her past life and the events which have brought her this far.

In equal parts tragic and compelling this is an essential read for anyone who feels like drifting, drinking and dreaming.

so good it hurts, 16 Apr 2003
and it really hurts. this book is beautifully bleak. it is a journey through a lost womens mind and memory and self loathing. it builds up and breaks down so well, so poetically, so perfectly, that by the end you are affected deeply and longing to step back into this book and offer something to this perfectly dejected character. don't get me wrong, you won't come out of this suicidal, but you will come out of it very involved and moved

Delicately Violent, 14 Nov 2002
It is no wonder that after the publication of this novel people assumed Jean Rhys had committed suicide. It is a dark, introverted, soul-searching novel. It's brilliance lies in the compassion with which Sasha is treated. This is a woman who is unquestionably at the end of her tether. Life occurs almost unconsciously to her. She drinks non-stop and thinks of fashion before eating. But these aren't superficial choices. They are the few soft whispers of a woman about to go over the brink. Throughout the novel you are given brief glimpses of her past as a shop assistant and the troubles in her marriage. In themselves the troubles which result from them are not ample enough to drive a normal woman to such desperation. You feel that the reason for her state of mind is more the result of a profound neglect of her individual spirit by men. She is led on to believe in a progression of being, but is abandoned to clutch at the ghosts of her old haunts in Paris. This is a sharp contrast to the ideas that we have about artistic scene of Paris in this time period. It is a more sincerely concentrated personal experience than most accounts. It is interesting to think of the end in contrast to the jubilant yeses of Molly Bloom in Ulysses. Sasha's yes is one of doom and resignation to a world that has flown past her.

Despite its depressing character, this novel is a fascinating look at a tendency to sink into a psychological state often ignored. It is also a subtle portrayal of an identity built on a knife's edge. Luckily, Ms Rhys did survive this novel (however unhappily). It is a miracle that she did considering the violent lack of self worth of Sasha; to have imagined such a person must have been terrifying indeed.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

The mad wife's tale, 28 Mar 2003
For anyone who has read Bronte's 'Jane Eyre', I consider this an essential follow up. Although written by different authors in different eras, whose styles of writing couldn't be more diverse, 'Wide Sargasso Sea' retells the story of the mad Creole wife locked away locked away in Rochester's tower, only this time from the wife's perspective. Through lush, ripe prose that perfectly suits the sultry Jamaican setting in which much of the book is set, we learn the emotions and passion that lay behind their marriage before suspicion, physical obsession and cultural differences (as well as Antoinette's much highlighted hereditary mental instability) all play their part in destroying the relationship. Greater sense is made of a tale that was only touched on briefly in 'Jane Eyre', overshadowed as it naturally was by Jane and Rochester's own romance. For me, the overlap of the two stories, especially towards the end of the book, is fascinating, particularly when we see the dramatic encounter between Jane and Antoinette in the tower replayed. Neither Jane or Rochester are ever named directly in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', indeed Jane's presence in the book is only fleeting, yet the shadow of the story of Jane Eyre is forever present, as indeed will be Antoinette's poignant story during future readings of Bronte's novel.

A different view on colonial love, 18 Feb 2000
Jean Rhys writes or rewrites the love-story that was never told in Brontes famous novel "Jane Eyre" between the wild native woman and the English gentleman Rochester. Through her use of different narrative language Rhys creates understanding for the lost and impossible love between Antoinette and her English husband. The love that was not understood in "Jane Eyre". This work by Rhys examines the problems as well as the beauty in mixing two so different cultures as shown in "Wide Sargasso Sea" with colourful and passionate language.

Thought provoking, 06 Jan 2000
This is a wonderful incredible insightful book. Imaginative narrative and powerful imagination combine to make this a truly great work of literature. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel for the heroine, like we are clearly supposed to, and the author opts to make Rochester (who, interestingly, is never named) out to be a villain, and her madness is entirely his fault.

It is a plausible exploration that aligns itself with Victorian gender politics; when women were sent to lunatic asylums for as little as depression, and then sent mad inside of them. Actually, it is highly relevant, and it gives the reader a completely different view of Bertha's story. This is a double edged sword though. As interesting as it is, and perhaps right, in many respects, it is pretty difficult to grasp the characterisation of Rochester in this manner for all the people that adored his character in 'Jane Eyre'.

Besides the character of Bertha, and the fact that this novella is a prequel, it can firmly stand on its own. Not, perhaps, as a story or something to be enjoyed, but for the thematics and how the language complements them. The narration is riddled with imagery, foreshadowing and sheer elegance. It deals with gender politics, Victorian martial laws, colonialism, race, and of course, psychology. Having said that, I would recommend reading 'Jane Eyre' before embarking on this, as much of it would be lost if you have not read 'Jane Eyre' first. It also may soil your view on Rochester for 'Jane Eyre' and give away plot details which would ruin the novel for you considerably.

If you have read 'Jane Eyre', I would not say that this is vital, but if you are curious about Bertha's character this novella fleshes her out a bit, though there is still something about her that is lacking. I felt more sympathy for her in `Jane Eyre' without all of this background to be honest.


Highly recommended., 18 Jan 2008
This is a morose, but beautifully written novel. Definitely lives up to expectations. I read it through twice for full appreciation, and recommend this idea to others. I rate this 6 stars!

Dark and Delicious, 27 Oct 2007
This is a macabre book with a true sense of gothicism to it. I first read it as a teenager after being blown away by Jane Eyre, and hated it. Its difference from Bronte's writing and its harsh treatment of Rochester didn't sit well with me at all. Having had to read it again as part of a course recently I have to say I wasn't relishing the experience, but how wrong I was. Reading it again, with no expectation of kinship with Bronte made such a difference. This is a brilliant book, densely layered, symbolic and evocative of the tropical landscape, madness and imprisonment. It has some of the wonderful internal dialogue moments of Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, swooping through the narrative and Rhys' eye for detail and dialogue is superb. Its brooding menace is chilling and the use of imagery is stupendous. A fantastic book.

Superb and incredibly inventive prequel to Jane Eyre, 06 Aug 2007
The Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway/ Bertha Mason, the mad first wife of Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

It tells her story, as the marginalised outsider, and shows how she came to be locked in a grey tower in England, guarded night and day, and despised and feared by her husband, from her childhood roots in the Caribbean.

It is a brilliant book, atmospheric, passionate and political; still as relevant as when it was first written. It stands alone, without having read Jane Eyre, despite its brevity. However, it is in the context of Jane Eyre that it is really best understood.

It is always audacious to take on a classic novel in this way, but Wide Sargasso Sea does so imaginatively and sympathetically, creating characters that have a life of their own, beyond Bronte's text.

A great book that gives in depth view into the mind of "Bertha", 26 Jun 2007
Even thought I didn't enjoy the film too much the book itself is phenomenal. The story of Bertha, the first Mrs. Rochester, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is a not only a brilliant deconstruction of Charlotte Bront's legacy, but is also a damning history of colonialism in the West Indies. This novel addresses the issue of race and culture, but it also addresses the inner thought processes of a woman confronted with cultural chaos between the Creole, Jamaican, and British in the Caribbean.

Told from different points of view, the text is a tapestry weaving Bertha's story with Edward Rochester's early life. Like the seaweed the book is named for, the structure floats in and out of artistic consciousness as though on a sea of many unwritten stories. Although some might argue that "Wide Sargasso Sea," detracts from "Jane Eyre," I feel that Jean Rhys gives us a fuller understanding about the cultural historiography that produces "great literature." As a champion for the silenced voices, Charlotte Bront herself was all too aware of societies' injustices.

While today, "Jane Eyre" is generally accepted as a tract on social class, feminism, and conscious production of art, 150 years ago, Bront was lambasted by contemporary critics as unchristian, seditious and a poor writer. I can not help but think Bront, as social critic, would have cheered the publication of "Wide Sargasso Sea." A wonderful book for anyone studying Latin America or the Caribbean.


Caribbean then and now, 17 Nov 2006
I re-read this upon finding it - along with Phyllis Shand Allfrey's The Orchid House - on a bookshelf a decade after first buying and reading both. They both depict a colonial way of life which has come to an end. Wide Sargasso Sea is quite simply an exquisite portrayal of Jamaica and the other un-named island which the newly-weds travel to and albeit short, a marvellous novel. Jane Eyre was an must for O-level but I never warmed to her, unlike Antoinette, whose story is tragic and still an enigma in the novel. Who really made her insane?...

Mad women in the attic, 31 Jul 2006
This is a story from the point of view of the 'mad women' in Jane Eyre. I found it all consuming and couldn't put it down. Don't worry if you haven't read JA it's still a fantastic book and if you are a JA fan, don't feel it will detract from that wonderful novel, as the 2 can be read exclusively of each other. Either way, you will be left wondering, was his wife mad, or did Mr Rochester make her that way?

Makes you think..., 30 Jul 2005
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte`s Jane Eyre.
It is a very short book but it is very moving,readable and beautifully written.Jean Rhys uses descriptions about Jamacia which conjer up it`s smells and sights so you feel that you are actually there.
The narrative displacement is easy to keep track of as it is only between Mr Rochester and his mad bride(who is actually called Antoniette by the way).Antoniette is easy to sympathise with especially in the first and final parts as they are told by her.If you have read Jane Eyre before you will see her in a different light and even care about her.
However I will not spoil this fantastic book.I would recommend reading Jane Eyre first as you will appreciate it better,but even if you haven`t I still recommend.
I am now waiting to read Quartet also by Jean Rhys.

Excellent, 11 Oct 2008
For me this book combines the highest integrity of the modernist enterprise with the pervasive pessimism of emergent postmodernism. Rhys's character is first and foremost a suffering human being; although a byproduct of the enormous changes in society for women in the 1920s and 1930s, this woman's dissolution and isolation is a literary triumph. With no feminist agenda and without aspiring to the obscure or difficult experimentation of other modernists, Rhys portrays the decline of a person no longer equipped to deal with the intrusion of society into their disintegrating personal life. Are the vultures really gathering, or is this just her perception of life? How honest a portrayal of the social outcast - the destitute, the alcoholic, the fallen woman, the ageing woman, the victim. Has anyone written like this, before Rhys or since?

Good Morning, Midnight, 20 Jul 2007
A bleak, compelling novel, detailing the despair of someone who has been battered and bruised by life. A strong element of how someone's problems can prevent them from ever taking an opportunity for happiness or emotional connection with another human being.

Recommended read from an author who has in my opinion written far better than Wide Sargasso Sea.

romanticism and loneliness of a Parisian gutter life, 31 May 2005
Paris is the city to get lost and drunk in. This can be seen by the amount of literature concerned with these two essential elements of life, and Jean Rhys has conjured up an exquisite example of the stream of consciouness 'life in the gutter' tale of a girl lost and alone.

At just the right length the novel concerns Sophia who has returned to Paris after an abscence in an attempt to rebuild her life. Unfortunately her life starts the spiral downwards as she wanders the streets and rests in the bars thinking of her past life and the events which have brought her this far.

In equal parts tragic and compelling this is an essential read for anyone who feels like drifting, drinking and dreaming.

so good it hurts, 16 Apr 2003
and it really hurts. this book is beautifully bleak. it is a journey through a lost womens mind and memory and self loathing. it builds up and breaks down so well, so poetically, so perfectly, that by the end you are affected deeply and longing to step back into this book and offer something to this perfectly dejected character. don't get me wrong, you won't come out of this suicidal, but you will come out of it very involved and moved

Delicately Violent, 14 Nov 2002
It is no wonder that after the publication of this novel people assumed Jean Rhys had committed suicide. It is a dark, introverted, soul-searching novel. It's brilliance lies in the compassion with which Sasha is treated. This is a woman who is unquestionably at the end of her tether. Life occurs almost unconsciously to her. She drinks non-stop and thinks of fashion before eating. But these aren't superficial choices. They are the few soft whispers of a woman about to go over the brink. Throughout the novel you are given brief glimpses of her past as a shop assistant and the troubles in her marriage. In themselves the troubles which result from them are not ample enough to drive a normal woman to such desperation. You feel that the reason for her state of mind is more the result of a profound neglect of her individual spirit by men. She is led on to believe in a progression of being, but is abandoned to clutch at the ghosts of her old haunts in Paris. This is a sharp contrast to the ideas that we have about artistic scene of Paris in this time period. It is a more sincerely concentrated personal experience than most accounts. It is interesting to think of the end in contrast to the jubilant yeses of Molly Bloom in Ulysses. Sasha's yes is one of doom and resignation to a world that has flown past her.

Despite its depressing character, this novel is a fascinating look at a tendency to sink into a psychological state often ignored. It is also a subtle portrayal of an identity built on a knife's edge. Luckily, Ms Rhys did survive this novel (however unhappily). It is a miracle that she did considering the violent lack of self worth of Sasha; to have imagined such a person must have been terrifying indeed.

Prequel to Jane Eyre, 09 Nov 2008
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is basically a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' which tells the madwoman in the attic's story. It goes back to the childhood of Bertha (here called Antoinette - the name Bertha is given to her patronisingly and domineeringly by Rochester). We see how she grew up as a Creole in the West Indies, her family's evolving situation and her eventual marriage to Rochester.
At this point in the story we switch for the most part to Rochester's point of view and for lovers of his character in 'Jane Eyre' this may be time to look away...or open up to this rather negative interpretation, at least. It's an interesting portrayal and even though you can't totally sympahtise with his behaviour in 'Wide Sargasso Sea', I think Rhys does a good job of making him a 100% human character.
The device of switching to Rochester's voice is a strange one in my opinion. For me, I expected this short novel to be the story from Bertha's point of view but instead her voice is swiftly taken away from her as she descends into emotional distress and 'madness'. So although this book does give us insight into the pain and suffering Bertha may have suffered in the process of ending up in the attic, it in effect colludes with the idea of a male patriarchal narrative obstructing the female one when the feminine moves too close to hysteria or serious emotionality.
'Wide Sargasso Sea' is not an easy read because of the sheer depth and intensity of it. The setting in the West Indies is so lavishly and breathlessly described that one cannot help but - not just see it in their mind - but feel everything about it as well. That was the highlight of the novel for me. It is an intense and not an uplifting read, which is to be expected. However I feel overall that Rhys could have just done...more. When it borders too close to really getting down to a resolution or an attack or an open literary explosion, she shies away. The madness is not quite real enough. I didn't feel enough sympathy or really any particular personal feeling for Bertha because there wasn't enough time spent on developing the emotional state of her character in the second half. All of the interesting ideas were brought up short and never really developed.
It is still worth reading, if only for the concept behind it, but in my opinion it could have been achieved with much more style and substance.

It grows on you - give it a chance and you will be rewarded, 26 Aug 2008
Read it once, quickly, as you may an 'ordinary' novel and you might struggle to finish it, at best maybe give it three stars. Read it again, slowly, study it with an appropriate text and the book really comes into it's own. Oh, this is very good. Clever, subtle, crafted. Beautifully done, with a light touch. It's a wonderfully evocative social commentary on how the stiffness of British imperialistic attitudes flounder and seem absurd in a tropical climate and setting. Likewise, it's a commentary on life and living and loving and being, on being black and being white, of male and female and power structures and sex. There's just so much going on.

Worth a try for curious readers, 18 Aug 2008
'Jane Eyre' is probably one of my favourite novels of all time, and when a family member lent me this prequel, I was quick to devour it.

My expectations were not high, however. I was excited about the 'Jane Eyre' BBC adaptation, and when it turned out to be outstanding and very loyal to its source material, I was keen to watch the prequel that they advertised afterwards. I was not as impressed. I found it dull and could not really connect with Bertha.

As it turns out, after reading this novella, the BBC adaptation was as loyal as the 'Jane Eyre' adaptation. It was sexy, colourful, brooding, exotic and menacing, and whilst I did not appreciate this at the time, I do after reading this. Unfortunately, this loyalty means the shortcomings of the TV adaptation are also true of this novella. It is quite difficult to feel