Desiree's Baby

Written by Kate Chopin

Narrated by B. J. Harrison

Désirée and Armand’s marriage was passionate and loving. But everything changes when their baby is born, who appears to be of mixed race.

Set before the Civil War in Louisiana, and originally published on January 14, 1893, Kate Chopin shines a light on the antebellum culture, which rendered some of the most vulnerable absolutely powerless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Feb 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781957934396

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty (1850-1904), was an American writer of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. Chopin is best known for her novel The Awakening, and for her short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Of French and Irish descent, her work depicted the various ethnic groups of Louisiana, especially of Creoles, with sensitivity and wit, and featured vivid descriptions of the natural environment there. After her husband died in 1882 and left her $42,000 in debt, Chopin took up writing to support her family of six children. Though popular, her serious literary qualities were overlooked in her day, and she is now seen as an important early American feminist writer.

Reviews for Desiree's Baby

[philsyphe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those tragic stories where two white parents have a baby that isn't so white. It's set in the America of yesteryear when this was serious enough to turn one partner's love for the other to unforgiving hatred.The author does a great job of setting the tone and evoking sympathy for the rejected partner. What impressed me most was the last paragraph. I won't give it away, but will say I didn't see it coming.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the author of the famous feminist work The Awakening comes this collection of short stories set in the New Orleans bayou. Many of the stories blend together, lost in my memory only moments after finishing them. That’s something I always struggle with when it comes to short stories. This collection does have a few stand outs, particularly the title story Désirée’s Baby. The horrifying little tale is about a happily married couple who have just had their first child. The child clearly isn’t completely white and because of that the husband throws the wife out of the house and disowns the child, saying she must have an African American in her background. But the truth is even more shocking. The other stand out was “The Godmother,” a short piece about a woman whose grandson commits a murder. She does everything she can to protect him and hide the truth, but the guilt of the cover-up drives a wedge between them. The collection includes: Love on the Bon-Dieu, Désirée’s Baby, A Lady of Bayou St. John, The Unexpected, Fedora, The Story of an Hour, The Godmother and At the Cadian Ball BOTTOM LINE: Start with Chopin’s other work, The Awakening” and if you’re left wanting more then check these out.