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It�s perhaps tempting for most people to skip the Classics section of their neighborhood bookstore. After all, that�s where all the books you were ever required to do reports on in school sit. But here�s a plea from a bookworm who nevertheless admits to getting easily bored by boring books�stay! Browse the Classics. Not only are these some of the greatest and most enduringly popular books ever written, they�re also cheap, because the copyrights on many of them have expired. Where you�d shell out P500 and up for a new title, you can easily pick up a classic for around P200�a bargain.

Written in 1899, Kate Chopin�s �The Awakening� is a novel that I�ve recommended to various friends of mine, and recently chose as a selection for my book club (yes, I have a book club). I first read it as an 18-year-old and loathed it�I found it offensive and cruel, and its heroine selfish and unsympathetic. Rereading it in my 20�s, it�s a book I�ve come to enjoy and admire.

The ability of �The Awakening� to arouse this sort of emotion in its readers is why I continue to recommend that it be read. The book chronicles the story of 28-year-old Edna Pontellier, a woman living in the American South in the late 1800�s. Unhappy with her life as a wife and mother, she casually abandons her family, sending her two young sons to the country while her husband is away on business. She moves into a home of her own, embarks on a string of affairs, and attempts an artistic career. But the story is a tragic one, as Edna�s disregard for her obligations and her attempts at independence leave her with nowhere to turn in an unforgiving society.

It doesn�t sound like a cheery novel�and it isn�t. It is however, a beautifully written one, as Chopin was a skilled writer with a clear, lyrical voice. Despite the weighty themes, �The Awakening� is also quite short, with many editions coming in at around 150 pages. Long after you�ve finished reading it, the novel�s passionate, doomed heroine and its haunting final pages are likely to stay on the brain and, if you and your friends are the type to argue over this sort of thing, even encourage debate. Check it out and be moved.

“The Awakening and Selected Short Stories” by Kate Chopin. Enriched Classics mass market paperback. P225 at National Bookstore.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 7th, 2006 at 6:30 am and is filed under Media (Books, CDs, DVDs, Movies). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.