Great news everyone, #teapigsbookclub is well underway and we’ve all had a great time getting stuck into our first instalment ‘A pair of silk stockings’ by Kate Chopin.
We hoped you all enjoyed it as much as we did - apologies in advance if you were expecting a mega raunchy ‘50 shades of grey’ style account of a lady and her stockings..you may have been slightly let down
But if you were geared up for a realistic and relevant account of feminist and cultural issues – then we’re sure you were in for a treat!
Below are some examples of what us teapig folk thought of Chopin’s short stories - whether you agree or not, please do let us know in the comments, #teapigsbookclub is all about getting a discussion going!
Juliana:
“When I was told about the #teapigsbookclub, I thought I wouldn't finish the book on time. I am a very slow reader, but this small collection of 5 stories was just perfect to make me want to go for it. And I actually finished on time, hooray!
Each story feels very intense (but not in a thriller/terror way), and it shows a little bit of American life back in the 19th century. My favourite story was the title story, which I thought to be very contemporary. It's about Mrs Sommers and the $15 that she comes into and it unfolds on how she spends it. No spoilers here, but I think every person can understand her decisions and at the same time, feel embarrassed about the materialistic kind of happiness she aims for herself.”
Sarah:
“So I finished it last night – and really enjoyed it!
I LOVE a good feminist author, and Kate Chopin is up there as one of the best - although a collection of 5 separate stories, each one tackles very similar core themes such as self-worth, female liberation and gender and racial equality (All the biggies then)
I couldn't help but hear a faint ringing of William Wallace's 'FREEDOM' once I'd finished 'The story of an hour' - so many emotions captured within a couple of pages - absolutely great stuff!
Marriage isn't painted in a particularly good light and it takes the death of a husband or financial independence for a woman to be truly free - or you know, the ultimate price of death. I found that Chopin managed to shine a light on the gritty reality which would normally be kept well and truly hidden behind closed doors and opened up the debate regarding women’s social status.
Gender equality is still just as prevalent today (Patricia Arquette made that perfectly clear in her winning Oscar speech) and it's incredibly interesting to see how many parallels can still be seen in modern society.
Basically, I could go on for hours - I nearly got my highlighter out and everything. But I really enjoyed it - I think it raises a lot of really important questions about society which are just as pertinent as ever. ”
And here’s teapig Becky’s review:
“The idea of a small book split into a collection of small short stories is wonderful – each bitesized chunk can be read in no time on the tube or bus (or during your lunch hour at your desk!) The stories were incredibly atmospheric, I really felt like I was reading a piece of history. But as Sarah and Juliana said, the topics are so relevant to today”
We’re taking this book club seriously, and although we can’t all sit around with a nice glass of wine, eat cheese and talk about the book – we’d still LOVE to know what you thought :)
The second #teapigsbookclub book will be announced on Monday so keep your eyes peeled as we’ll have some more books to giveaway!!
