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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Duty vs. Desire- Newland Archer is torn between these two choices.
Does he honor his duty to himself and his family, and live up to the codes of his society by marrying May Welland, who is a perfect match for him with so much going for her? - OR -Does he pursue his heart’s desire to move away from the strictures of his social class and marry May’s cousin, Ellen Olenska?
The Age of Innocence is a wonderful novel. While it is primarily a story of a love triangle, the protagonist, Newland, wants to break away from his social ring which he views as hypocritical, restrictive, and old-styled. Wharton did a stellar job of showing her readers just how difficult Newland’s choices were to make, just like a real person has to make in his or her own life. I also LOVE Edith Wharton’s descriptive writing style. I felt like I was transported back to late 18th/early 19th century high society New York, and this narrator was first class - the best audiobook narrator I’ve ever listened to.
Duty, Desire, Life, Love, and the choices that come with these things make this novel nearly perfect. Edith Wharton is one of the best!
Does he honor his duty to himself and his family, and live up to the codes of his society by marrying May Welland, who is a perfect match for him with so much going for her? - OR -Does he pursue his heart’s desire to move away from the strictures of his social class and marry May’s cousin, Ellen Olenska?
The Age of Innocence is a wonderful novel. While it is primarily a story of a love triangle, the protagonist, Newland, wants to break away from his social ring which he views as hypocritical, restrictive, and old-styled. Wharton did a stellar job of showing her readers just how difficult Newland’s choices were to make, just like a real person has to make in his or her own life. I also LOVE Edith Wharton’s descriptive writing style. I felt like I was transported back to late 18th/early 19th century high society New York, and this narrator was first class - the best audiobook narrator I’ve ever listened to.
Duty, Desire, Life, Love, and the choices that come with these things make this novel nearly perfect. Edith Wharton is one of the best!
This book is 100 years old, and set a few decades earlier than that, so the endnotes are helpful. That said, the book holds up.
I learned in the intro (which I read after the book, because it makes more sense then, and which is overwritten in the way of lit crit papers at the 400 or 500 level, but which does add valuable context) that Wharton was a friend of Henry James, who was my favorite in my Engl major days, so it makes sense that I enjoy her style.
I learned in the intro (which I read after the book, because it makes more sense then, and which is overwritten in the way of lit crit papers at the 400 or 500 level, but which does add valuable context) that Wharton was a friend of Henry James, who was my favorite in my Engl major days, so it makes sense that I enjoy her style.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Watched the film as too young a teenager who was into Scorsese. Thought it was very good but don't think truly understood it. Indeed I think the ending hits so much better when you are in middle age. I never didn't enjoy it but took a while for me to not want to put it down. But really a great thought provoking moving read
The drama!! This was a slow burn for me but really enjoyed this one
I was so surprised by how good this book turned out to be!
I was a little prejudiced against it after having heard that this was one of Lionel Shriver's favourite works. And as I started reading it, I thought my hate was justified. But like a good Austenite, I went the whole circle and fell in love with it as I read on and on.
*spoilers ahead *
The most interesting aspect of this book is the choice of the protagonist, Newland Archer. He is everything that you would hate - rich, bigoted and selfish with nary a redeeming quality. He complains about being locked down by societal standards while participating in furthering it. To say that I loathed him would be an understatement. Initially as I read, I didn't understand why Edith Wharton would choose this person to be her main character. He seemed like a vehicle to propagate misogyny. He assumes the worst of his betrothed, May Welland. He always feels like she is vacuous and does not do anything 'original' on her own. He is attracted to Ellen Olenska who is 'not like other women' in his society.
It is only towards the end that the full realization hits that it is he who is empty-headed and ruled by societal norms. There are hints throughout the book about May being more than she was portrayed to be. But the narrative being from Archer's perspective does not dwell too much on it. Right from the beginning she seemed aware of Archer's attraction to Ellen and runs her life accordingly. She does what she has to do to stay with her husband. Perhaps in another time, May would have realized that she shouldn't in fact be with Newland. She just chooses to make the best of her life with him.
It is a powerful choice from Edith Wharton to choose this approach. She shows clearly how women are perceived and objectified by the 'gentlemen' of her times and exposes their double standards. The women seem to be leading a rich life away from the narrative and Archer only vaguely understands this towards the end, like perhaps many men still haven't. It was an interesting choice and shows how self-absorbed men can be. It does get a little irritating sometimes, but it does add to the narration in the end.
A lovely read overall. Stick with it to the end!
I was a little prejudiced against it after having heard that this was one of Lionel Shriver's favourite works. And as I started reading it, I thought my hate was justified. But like a good Austenite, I went the whole circle and fell in love with it as I read on and on.
*spoilers ahead *
The most interesting aspect of this book is the choice of the protagonist, Newland Archer. He is everything that you would hate - rich, bigoted and selfish with nary a redeeming quality. He complains about being locked down by societal standards while participating in furthering it. To say that I loathed him would be an understatement. Initially as I read, I didn't understand why Edith Wharton would choose this person to be her main character. He seemed like a vehicle to propagate misogyny. He assumes the worst of his betrothed, May Welland. He always feels like she is vacuous and does not do anything 'original' on her own. He is attracted to Ellen Olenska who is 'not like other women' in his society.
It is only towards the end that the full realization hits that it is he who is empty-headed and ruled by societal norms. There are hints throughout the book about May being more than she was portrayed to be. But the narrative being from Archer's perspective does not dwell too much on it. Right from the beginning she seemed aware of Archer's attraction to Ellen and runs her life accordingly. She does what she has to do to stay with her husband. Perhaps in another time, May would have realized that she shouldn't in fact be with Newland. She just chooses to make the best of her life with him.
It is a powerful choice from Edith Wharton to choose this approach. She shows clearly how women are perceived and objectified by the 'gentlemen' of her times and exposes their double standards. The women seem to be leading a rich life away from the narrative and Archer only vaguely understands this towards the end, like perhaps many men still haven't. It was an interesting choice and shows how self-absorbed men can be. It does get a little irritating sometimes, but it does add to the narration in the end.
A lovely read overall. Stick with it to the end!
Second read, just as amazing
Sigh. All of those years that I avoided this novel simply because I foolishly read The House of Mirth first! I hated that book and refused to read more Wharton... Ten years later - I really loved this. It's going into my favorites shelf and I'm going to read it many more times :)
Sigh. All of those years that I avoided this novel simply because I foolishly read The House of Mirth first! I hated that book and refused to read more Wharton... Ten years later - I really loved this. It's going into my favorites shelf and I'm going to read it many more times :)
"Amy Sillerton had submitted so tamely to the eccentricities of a husband who filled the house with long-haired men and short-haired women"
Our protagonist, Newland Archer is a lawyer from a predominant upper-crust New York city family. He is engaged to May Welland, the picture of innocence, hailing from an equally prestigious family.
Newland struggles with his growing affection for the Countess Ellen Olenski, eventually sacrificing happiness for convention.
Wharton is a masterful writer, she paints the picture of high class New York like no other and creates characters whose complexities are so subtle, you can easily overlook them.
Like many novels of this time- the characters focus on social customs and turn away from anything that could be deemed "scandalous" but this book stands apart.
I struggled writing this review, I could not find the proper way to describe my feelings for this book. The beauty in a story that is so much more than another "love-triangle" the way each characters blossomed and evolved over the course of 230 pages, it is easy to see why this book is so loved, and so highly praised.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Why are the lives of the wealthy so fascinating to us? Even those who fictionally lived 150 years ago?
It’s pretty easy to feel sympathy, and frustration, toward each point of this love triangle. It’s also wild to me how relatable a novel about the 1870s that was written in the 1920s can feel. Times certainly have changed and much of the social scene in this novel is completely outdated but the core struggle, between honor and pleasure, responsibility and passion, is still so present in modern lives.
This novel is very readable and all of the characters feel relatable. Edith Wharton has an unparalleled ability to turn a clever phrase while writing in a style that feels straight forward and accessible.
Recommended for: for anyone who admires American Literature or who wants to enjoy a novel of manners (plus some passions) akin to Jane Austen.
Not recommended for: those put off by descriptive language of interiors and those who think their personal moral stance is always the only right one
It’s pretty easy to feel sympathy, and frustration, toward each point of this love triangle. It’s also wild to me how relatable a novel about the 1870s that was written in the 1920s can feel. Times certainly have changed and much of the social scene in this novel is completely outdated but the core struggle, between honor and pleasure, responsibility and passion, is still so present in modern lives.
This novel is very readable and all of the characters feel relatable. Edith Wharton has an unparalleled ability to turn a clever phrase while writing in a style that feels straight forward and accessible.
Recommended for: for anyone who admires American Literature or who wants to enjoy a novel of manners (plus some passions) akin to Jane Austen.
Not recommended for: those put off by descriptive language of interiors and those who think their personal moral stance is always the only right one
An intimate portrait into high society in New York's Gilded Age. It tells a delicately devastating story of love that gets tangled up in the expectations of tradition, familial honor & social restriction. Steeped in commentary on the standards that differ between men and women in relationships and romance- I was immediately absorbed into this world, so like and unlike my own. Couldn't put it down.