---
product_id: 50806590
title: "The Awakening: (Chopin novel) Paperback – January 15, 2016"
brand: "kate chopin"
price: "A$23"
currency: AUD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/50806590-the-awakening-chopin-novel-paperback-january-15-2016
store_origin: AU
region: Australia
---

# The Awakening: (Chopin novel) Paperback – January 15, 2016

**Brand:** kate chopin
**Price:** A$23
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Awakening: (Chopin novel) Paperback – January 15, 2016 by kate chopin
- **How much does it cost?** A$23 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.au](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/50806590-the-awakening-chopin-novel-paperback-january-15-2016)

## Best For

- kate chopin enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted kate chopin brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![The Awakening: (Chopin novel) Paperback – January 15, 2016 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41zDrwjWNlL.jpg)
![The Awakening: (Chopin novel) Paperback – January 15, 2016 - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hv7BYLOAL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An unconventional woman
  

*by S***S on Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2017*

I first read The Awakening in high school or early college, many many years ago.  I'm sure it was over my head and beyond my life experience at that time.  I likely read it because I thought it may contain explicit steamy love scenes!  It does not.  Or maybe it is steamy for 1899.  To me, the marvel of this book is that it was published in 1899.  A feminist novella indeed!The Awakening is the story of wealthy and unhappy Edna Pontellier.  She lives in New Orleans though the story opens when she is vacationing on the Louisiana coast with her husband and their two young sons.  Her husband is portrayed as a stuffy bore and the children as always wanting something.  At the summer resort she meets a variety of people.  Her close friend is very conventional, pregnant again, and would sacrifice anything for her children.  Another female vacationer is a pianist and an unconventional single woman.  She offers an alternative view of life for a woman.  Edna falls in love with the resort owner's flirtatious son Robert Lebrun.  When she returns to her daily life in New Orleans, Edna is despondent.  She misses Robert and she is unhappy being a wife and mother.  She tries to carve out some independence with her painting.  When her husband leaves on an extended business trip, she has an affair with a notorious womanizer.  She ends the affair on her own terms.  Still unhappy and unfulfilled, she rents a small house which she intends to live in on her own.  Her husband is appalled, but he is mainly concerned about appearances.  In a move worthy of today's best spin doctors, he makes arrangements to renovate their house in order to explain his wife living elsewhere.  In the meantime, Robert returns, sparks fly, and he leaves again.  Edna returns to the coast alone.That is a lot of story in a short book.  The writing is descriptive and evocative without being too flowery.  The real power is in the main character daring to defy a woman's prescribed role.  She tries to assert herself in small ways, but becomes bolder when this does not work.  There is a great scene when Edna decides to sleep outside in a hammock.  Her husband orders her in the house.  When she refuses, he sits on the porch with her all night.  He drinks wine and smokes cigars while she tries to sleep.  It is a great example of the passive-aggressive behavior that occurs in most marriages at some point.  I noticed that some reviewers do not like the character of Edna.  She is not particularly likable, but neither are any of the other characters in this book.  She is an unhappy woman who does not like society's rules.  She has very few options and makes a lot of blunders along the way.  The book really resonated with me at this time in my life and also at this time in our social and political climate.  I'm so glad I re-read this!

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Not for me
  

*by A***A on Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018*

This is a controversial but worthwhile read, if you are interested in the history of American novels and/or the history of female American writers.I didn't like it. The writing is uneven, and Edna had a pretty good life compared to a lot of women today, let alone in Kate Chopin's time. However, it bears keeping in mind that Chopin was trying to do something different and somewhat revolutionary for the time. She was bending the formal rules of prose-writing and trying to break away somewhat from the realism that dominated the novels of her time. Both efforts work better in the dialogue than they do in the descriptive text, at least for me. The extended metaphor, however, is well-executed, if a bit on the nose.For my son, who read the book this year for AP Lit, Edna's character was insufferable, and the way the other characters existed to price her was unendurable. I agree that it's tiresome, but after speaking with a friend of mine who is smarter than I am by a lot, I think maybe that Chopin intended it to be so as a way to illustrate the cognitive dissonance involved in Victorian American bourgeoise society when a wife and mother was not good in either role.All that said, parts of it are gorgeous, and Chopin was way ahead of her time, which makes the book worth reading.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An actual good classic
  

*by Z***Z on Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017*

I am a 31 year old man, and while I don't think anyone would consider me a "manly man", I'm also far from the type of person people would think would enjoy this book. It's the metamorphosis of a reserved typical (for the time) caterpillar of a woman who grows or "awakens" into a free spirited, ambitious, outspoken, independent woman.The writing is awesome. In the beginning I really didn't care for the plot much but wanted to give it a try because it's considered a classic and was very controversial for the time. For about the first 30% I really wasn't excited to pick it up and read it, but every time I did, I really enjoyed reading it just because of how well it was written. Then the metamorphosis begins, and I really think there's no better word to describe the change that Kate Chopin masterfully (and I've never once used that word) portrayed. And I love reading that old-time English, but a lot of books it's so old that it's barely understandable to me. This was a perfect mix to me. It had me trying to speak like that since I've finished.All that said, I can easily see why someone would be turned off by the plot (though not angry at it as so many seem to be) since it's very plain and simple. But if you give it a chance, the writing and the beautiful way she makes the character grow and change is well worth whatever problems you have with it.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/50806590-the-awakening-chopin-novel-paperback-january-15-2016](https://www.desertcart.com.au/products/50806590-the-awakening-chopin-novel-paperback-january-15-2016)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Australia*
*Store origin: AU*
*Last updated: 2026-03-11*