UNICORN PORN FOR ALL

Chopin is good shit. Kirs picked it up for me after finding with horror that I'd never read her; she has literally never steered me wrong with books, so it's hardly surprising. (I wish I could say I had the same track record with her. Sorry about Kavalier and Clay!)

"The Awakening" makes an interesting pair with Madame Bovary; the themes are nearly identical, but the execution is as different as it can be. Edna is an ambiguous character, and it's easy to feel that she's making some questionable decisions. Even her attitude toward her children is similar to Emma's. But overall, she's way more sympathetic than Emma.

And I love novellas, man. They're a perfect afternoon.

Her short stories are mostly good too: short, sharp things with fierce denouements. "Désirée's Baby" and "A Respectable Woman" were my favorites.

I totally dug this.

----------------------

Edition notes: eh. For one thing, this is mysteriously missing "Story of an Hour," probably her most-admired short story; I'll have to try to find that online. The intro is cursory, and the book itself is one of those little things where you have to fold half of it way back to get the margins to show.

Most importantly: there's an endnote to "The Awakening" that spoils the ending if you're paying any attention. Specifically, it's note 4 to chapter XXI. Some of the others are helpful, but avoid that at all costs if you haven't read the book before.