Paris in July!

 

It's time again for all things French. Yep, Paris in July is back (thanks to Tamara from Thyme for Tea for hosting and creating this terrific challenge) and I am thrilled to be participating in this challenge. All month long I will be reading books and watching films set in France (or written/created by French authors/directors/actors), listening to French music, and indulging in some French foods. Talk about bliss! 

I'm thinking of Jean Rhys. I recently bought a few new editions of some of her books and was leaning toward re-reading Good Morning, Midnight. What do you think? 

Not sure what else I'll read, but I'm looking forward to figuring it out. Also, I decided to make my journal Paris themed this month. So, I'm really looking forward to decorating it and writing about this challenge. 

Let me know if you're participating, too. Or, if you have any book recs you'd like to share. 

Happy reading!!

50th Anniversary Reissue of Wide Sargasso Sea: A Novel by Jean Rhys

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

WIDE SARGASSO SEA, a masterpiece of modern fiction, was Jean Rhys’s return to the literary center stage. She had a startling early career and was known for her extraordinary prose and haunting women characters. With Wide Sargasso Sea, her last and best-selling novel, she ingeniously brings into light one of fiction’s most fascinating characters: the madwoman in the attic from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. This mesmerizing work introduces us to Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester. Rhys portrays Cosway amidst a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind.

my thoughts:

I love Jean Rhys.  Her writing is beautiful, emotional, smart, haunting, and unforgettable.  She tackles topics of madness/depression, racial inequality, power relations between men and women, sexuality, and class.  I crushed hard on her when I read Wide Sargasso Sea and then fell in deep when I finished Good Morning, Midnight.  Over the years, I've read her work sparingly, because I don't want to run out of her writings.  I know, its crazy! Usually, when I love an author so fiercely I tend to devour their works one after the other.  However, I've started to break that habit and instead only read their books when I crave substance; which is why I want to read Quartet by Rhys soon (I swear the book is calling to me).  Anyhow, when I received the email regarding the 50th anniversary reissue of Rhys' most popular novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, I whooped for joy.  I was so excited to reread this book that introduced me to the brilliant Jean Rhys. Especially, as I had been wondering about rereading Jane Eyre and had agreed to do so with Meredith (of Dolce Bellezza) - talk about perfect timing!  Now I would get to experience both stories once again.  If truth be told, I'm not a fan of Jane Eyre (which is why I'm rereading it).  After reading WSS, I found myself despising Rochester and rallying behind Antoinette aka Bertha (the mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre).  So, I admit that I am biased toward this novel, which means that I will love it each time I read it.  Oh well, I can't help but be moved by great literature.

WSS by Jean Rhys is brilliant.  It tells the story of a young woman who is thrust into a marriage, a home, a country, a life that hardly resembles anything she ever hoped or imagined for herself.  Antoinette struggles with her identity all throughout the story - from her race to her class, she finds herself depicted as "other" time and time again.  The hurt and pain she endures from her husband (an unnamed Englishman who turns out to be Rochester) is disturbing and unbearable.  The more she suffers, the more she learns that her life will be one of misery.  Her husband hates her and faults her with everything - he takes great pleasure in hurting her.  The further away Antoinette gets from anything remotely familiar to her, the more unhinged it appears she becomes.  Haunted by her mother's madness, the violence in her community, and the cruelty of her husband, Antoinette is left to wander around the attic (where her husband has locked her away) amid her loneliness and delusions. She becomes the mad woman in the attic aka Bertha from Jane Eyre.  Rhys writes about this young, beautiful woman who eventually becomes her own worst nightmare.  Its heartbreaking and fascinating all at once.  You can't help but root for Antoinette and tear up when she gets broken time and time again.  This story is truly an inspiring and thought-provoking read.  The ways in which Jean Rhys has utilized a character from Jane Eyre is amazing, imaginative, and smart.  She has constructed a story for a woman who is meant to be nothing more than a hindrance in Jane's happily ever after. How brilliant!

I absolutely loved reading all about Antoinette, again.  And I loved getting lost in Rhys' writing.  Wide Sargasso Sea was an absolute treat to reread.  I would happily recommend it to fans of Jean Rhys, fans of Jane Eyre, and fans of great literature - you will LOVE this book!!

Let Them Call It Jazz by Jean Rhys

Let Them Call It Jazz by Jean Rhys is short and brilliant.  It consists of three short stories about three lonely women suffering from various forms of depression: Let Them Call It Jazz,  Outside the Machine, The Insect World. 

Let Them Call It Jazz:

Selina is a young woman who has no money, no home and no idea of what to do next in her life.  She came to England with the intent of becoming a seamstress at a shop in London, but has had no luck getting hired.  Instead she finds herself kicked out of the bedsit she rents weekly and learns that her life savings (30 pounds) has been stolen.   While having a sandwich and coffee, she meets a man who provides her with a new place of residence.  He owns a house and has a vacancy available.  Reluctant at first, Selina soon finds herself living in a worn down flat, spending her nights drinking and dancing outside in the yard.  The next door neighbors are unfriendly towards her and constantly tell her to leave the area.  This tension grows and eventually the police are phoned  - her dark skin and foreign accent have made the neighbors suspicious and they accuse her of being a prostitute, a troublemaker and a disturbance to the neighborhood.  Unable to defend herself, Selina winds up in front of the local magistrate and eventually jail.  She feels isolated, victimized and completely abandoned by everyone and everything.  Her only solace is in a song she heard a young woman singing in prison - the Holloway song.  Selina believed that the woman was singing that song to her and that was how and why she wound up in that prison - to hear that song.  However, when Selina's song gets jazzed up and sold for cash, she is saddened - this song was her only connection to a place, to a reality.  But she soon realizes that she has nothing and this song is an example of the nothingness she owns and so she lets go of the song. 

Outside the Machine:

Inez Best is not good. She is in hospital having surgery and suffering from depression.  She is surrounded by women - and she hates women.  Unsure of how to react to everyone and everything, she just lays there at first and listens to the chatter surrounding her.  Observing the women, she soon finds herself disliking them more and more.  And she soon realizes that she needs to stay in the hospital longer, because she has nowhere to go once she leaves.  Plus, she enjoys spending the day in bed, eating lunch, reading books and not having to do anything else - its an escape from her reality.  She heals slowly every day and when she finally walks herself to the bathroom to wash up, she encounters Murphy (another fellow patient) who gets tackled by a nurse - apparently Murphy was going to attempt suicide in the lavatory.  All the women question Inez when she returns from the bathroom - it seems that Murphy has a husband and two small children, but is so unhappy with her life that she has been trying to kill herself for quite some time.  The women are appalled and disgusted by Murphy and think she should be hung.  Inez, on the other hand, connects with Murphy, because she has contemplated suicide before, too.  When it is time for Inez to finally leave, she is given some money by the Mrs. Tavernier, the old woman with whom she first spoke to upon entering the hospital ward.  Inez accepts the money and thanks the woman.  In her head, she tells herself that the amount people are willing to give - whether it be monetary or their own personal time - is never enough to truly help someone who is as sad and depressed as she is. 

The Insect World:

Audrey is reading a book called Nothing So Blue and it provides details about insects, like the jigger ( a sand flea).  She is living a flat she shares with her best friend, Monica.  They both work as typists in a government building.  Audrey likes to read - she prefers the written word to life.  She would rather immerse herself in a book than in her own personal reality.  We find Audrey getting upset over the way the sales woman at a store bullies her into buying a short dress that fits her too big.  We follow her home where she remembers that she has not eaten all day, but is already running late to meet her friend Roberta for tea.  At first glance, she is envious of Roberta for living in a cute cottage and opening the door in a floral housecoat and plopping herself down on the couch like a film star would have done.  However, when Audrey really looks at Roberta, she realizes that the floral housecoat is actually made of old curtains and that Roberta doesn't look too glamorous after all.  They begin to discuss the insects in the book that Audrey is reading and Roberta explains how the creepy jiggers are mere sand fleas and tells Audrey not to believe everything she reads.  Eventually Audrey gets home and finds Monica making dinner and blasting the radio.  They argue a bit and Audrey lays down to sleep. She gets woken up by Monica who tells her to stop screaming or they will be thrown out of their flat - apparently Audrey was screaming about jiggers. 

My thoughts:

All three short stories vividly show the various forms of depression that these women suffer and they ways in which they choose to handle it or ignore it. The writing is excellent and truly showcases what a talented author Rhys was.  Her ability to bring up so many different, but important issues in such a short space of time is amazing.  Some of the issues she touches upon (aside from mental illness) are: racism, sexism, economic status, social class and identity.  Rhys is also able to fully develop the characters and provide a background for them without disrupting the flow of the short story line's plot.  Her tone is somber and haunting - the essence of each character's mental state of mind.  Overall, I would highly recommend this little book - its the perfect introduction to Rhys' writing style.  Enjoy!

Happy Reading! I'm off to figure out what book to dive into next. Cheers!!