i am mostly fond of "the awakening" in this collection of short stories, it's the only reason i gave the entire book a rating higher than 1 star. there are plenty of interesting stories in here as well, but kate chopin's racism is very prominent throughout the book that it makes it difficult to focus on anything else most of the time (as expected from an author of this time period). 

in my opinion, the only stories worth reading are the awakening, the story of an hour, & a pair of silk stockings. 

Wow I love Edna. She’s a hoot. I laughed a lot. (Though I think this book is so much funnier in current context and much of what I laughed at wasn’t even actually meant to be funny) I want to read this book seven times all with different lenses and focuses. Part of me is like “woo girl power” and part of me is like “ohhh get this girl a therapist” and all of me is definitely not a fan of the way servants are talked about. Not cool. That’s why it can’t be 5 stars. 

Some stories were better than others. I thought that the titular story could have been slimmed down a bit because it got pretty repetitive. But, it was good. The short stories were also hit or miss. Désirée's Baby was my favorite one.

I first read The Awakening in college and remembered it as a bold feminist story.  I am now here, re-reading 30 years later and am happy to see that this novel stands the test of time.  If anything, I now have a much more nuanced understanding of Edna Pontellier and what led her to make the choice she made. Edna Pontellier, I see you.