The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.

She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before

This candid portrayal of a woman who refuses to accept her allotted role as wife and mother caused an outcry when it was published in 1899.

It is the story of Edna Pontellier, who spends the summer on the Gulf of Mexico with her businessman husband and her two sons. When an illicit romance awakens unfamiliar ideas and longings in Edna, she discovers a new identity for herself, but cannot hope for understanding in the stifling attitudes of Louisiana society.

Katherine O'Flaherty, known by her married name Kate Chopin, is renowned for her novels and short stories depicting the inner lives of unconventional women, mostly set in the American South.