The Awakening and other Selected Stories (Reader's Library Classics)

The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude.

Edna Pontellier, mother of two and devoted wife, and her family set out for a family vacation in Grand Isle. There, Edna meets Robert Lebrun, and the two fall in love, but their love is short-lived as Robert hastily leaves Edna. After the vacation, Edna goes back home to New Orleans, Louisiana, only to discover how she longs for her own independence. Thus, she begins to focus on her happiness at the expense of her maternal duties.

Solitude, social constructs and attitudes, and gender roles were all controversial themes at the turn of the 20th century. The Awakening and other Selected Stories explores many of the evolving roles of women in American society.

Included are eight other stories written by Chopin.