About the Book

This is a short novel, published in 1899. It caused such a scandal that it was banned for decades afterward. The furore over this book was so upsetting to Kate Chopin that she gave up writing altogether.

Plot Summary

The story is about Mrs. Edna Pontellier, a Kentucky girl married to Leonce, a New Orleans Creole. One summer, when she is twenty-eight, something inside her starts to shift. She''s not fully aware of what''s happening, but she knows she feels different. Gradually she stops obeying social conventions and begins to do and say what she wants.

Because she''s a woman, everyone dismisses it and says, "Leave her alone and she''ll get over it." But she doesn''t. She becomes more and more independent and wilful, unwilling to play the game anymore.