October 16, 2014

Time 11.00 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.

Residence of:                         Anurita Chadha

WIDE SARGASSO SEA by JEAN RHYS

Written as a prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s classic, Jane Eyre, this novel tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman whose life is turned upside down due to dire family circumstances and an unfortunate twist of fate. The winds of change in 19th century Caribbean society force her into marriage with an English stranger -- a cruel destiny that ultimately drives her out of her mind. Jean Rhys knits an intriguing tale of life before Thornfield Hall.

 Praised by “The New York Times Book Review” as, “…a considerable tour de force by any standard…the novel is a triumph of atmosphere…it has an almost hallucinatory quality.” While Claire Armistead, books editor at “The Guardian” newspaper, describes the novel as, “…concise, chilling, richly evocative…where Bronte’s gothic is cold and dark, Rhys’s sweats and swelters”.

Book for November:  The Testament of Mary, by Colm Toibin

Book for January:       The Commoner, by John Burnham Schwartz

Vidya Srinivas                                                               Elizabeth Milne