"The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life." These words were spoken by Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's bold novella THE AWAKENING , realizing for the first time her own power and passions. First published in 1899, The Awakening caused a national scandal. Edna's decision to follow her heart and leave her family in search of personal freedom, was shocking to a public unaccustomed to such a sympathetic view of a sexually aware woman. As I read The Awakening (in today's lovely Melville House Edition, one of 37 titles in the fabulous Art of the Novella series), I was struck by Chopin’s gift for language and her rendering of Pontellier's world: a sun-baked Creole island and steamy, sensual New Orleans. Chopin's penetrating insight into Edna's mind lifts this story to its well deserved status as a classic. Exploring the themes of marriage, motherhood, and a woman's independence with candor and beauty, The Awakening is a must read.