I just finished reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin. It's a short novel set in the late 1800s and tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a woman married to a prosperous businessman. Edna was the perfect wife and mother and played her part well. For this, she was rewarded with all the financial security and material possessions she could ask for.
Edna began her personal rediscovery when she met and became friends with a young man on an island. Because of her feelings for him, and a friendship with a pianist that she met on the island, she begins to question her role as wife and mother, and sets out to discover herself.
The story affected me profoundly, and although it was written in 1899, the message is still very pertinent in today's society, and in the roles we play.