In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys brilliantly and imaginatively constructs the girlhood and marriage of Antoinette Bertha Cosway, the mysterious madwoman in Jane Eyre. It is a romantic and tragic novel of spellbinding intensity.

A very strange but intriguing book.
Read Jane Eyre long time ago and to realise that Antoinette could be the first Mrs. Rochester... Sheds a new light on that part of the book.

It is strange because of the language used, the way of telking the story and the fact that this acts as a kibd of prequel to Jane Eyre.
For me (if considered that way) it put Mr. Rochester in a different light.

Poor Antoinette. Or not? Is she very cunning? Or indeed mad, inherited from her mother and reinforced by all that has happened?

This book has been chosen from the 1001-listed VBB. Now it is on its way to Canada.
Safe traveks, little book & happy reading, mathgirl40!

I'd read this book about 30 years ago and really liked it at that time. Having reread Jane Eyre recently, I've been wanting to read Wide Sargasso Sea again.

Thanks very much, Boekentrol, for offering this book in the VBB!

This is a compact novel about Antoinette Cosway, the first Mrs. Rochester and the mysterious woman in the attic of Jane Eyre. I first studied this in an English literature course several decades ago and had an urge to read it again, especially after rereading Jane Eyre fairly recently. Rhys's writing is beautiful and full of imagery and symbolism, much of which I would not have appreciated properly were it not for the editor's notes. In addition to the interesting perspective on the early life of Mrs. Rochester, Rhys examines colonialism, slavery and racism in this story.

An interesting story in light of Jane Eyre. Would be great to read these two back to back.

An interesting story in light of Jane Eyre. Would be great to read these two back to back.

Back in my hands now.

I've passed this along to a friend.