For only being 150 pages, this one was really tough to get through. Edna is having the emotional, spiritual, philosophical 'what-does-it-all-really-mean' journey at age 28 that I think more women today have in their teens or twenties, so it was a little difficult to relate to the fact that she is going through that after getting married and having two kids. And yes, I understand that times were different, but I just didn't connect with the character so much, that's all. She became very emotionally flighty, and Chopin as author created a leading lady whom I couldn't decide if I felt sorry for or hated. I have to admit that the ending shocked me a little bit, but in retrospect it was the most honest way to conclude Edna's coming of age. Bird and flight imagery have been really interesting to me lately, so I'll end with an appropriate passage from the book. Edna is describing a visit she had with an elderly, eccentric lady friend.
"Well, for instance, when I left her to-day, she put her arms around me and felt my shoulder blades, to see if my wings were strong, she said. 'The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.'"
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