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toffishay's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maybe I'm just under the spell of Edith Wharton and her amazing writing, but I really enjoyed this book! It's hard when a character is so obviously a bad person and Edith doesn't shy away from how selfish and self-destructive Lily Bart is. I am reminded of a quote from Jane Austen about her book Emma where she said that Emma was a character that only she could love because Emma is this rich girl playing with other people's emotions and lives. I think that Lily is kind of a similar boat. She has more money than she lets on and only feels poor because she's playing around trying to be super rich. She thinks that she is better than other people and can get whatever she wants. You know that Lily is doing wrong, but you are drawn in by how she wants to do right. And I was sympathetic to the challenges that were placed in her way that weren't her fault. She certainly made her own trouble at times, but she is also a woman with less means trying to make her way in high society with other woman who have more status and men who can move through this world however they want.
Lily and Selden (Lily's main love interest) are both victims of their own ability to dream beyond their circumstances. Lily wants more material wealth, but is disgusted by what it will cost her emotionally and morally to get it and Selden claims to be above the machinations of the uber-wealthy, but is all too happy to move in it and be moved by it when it suits him. Neither can come fully to their morals even as the voices inside them are trying to pull them up out of the muck.
Overall, The House of Mirth is still not my favorite Edith Wharton novel; that still goes to The Age of Innocence. This one is more like Summer; I find that I have similar problems with both of those works. But I think that this is worth of your time if you like books about complicated women who are trying to understand the meaning of life and if they really want the things that they have been told that they want. I also really have HBO's Succession on the brain and Lily Bart in so many ways is an interesting combination of the characters of Shiv Roy and Tom Wambsgans, so if you like those, you might like this book too! This book is ultimately a tragedy and the weakest point for me was the ending, which felt a little rushed. It could also be argued that the plot gets a little circuitous toward the middle, which can make it drag a little before the end pops up on you.
Lily and Selden (Lily's main love interest) are both victims of their own ability to dream beyond their circumstances. Lily wants more material wealth, but is disgusted by what it will cost her emotionally and morally to get it and Selden claims to be above the machinations of the uber-wealthy, but is all too happy to move in it and be moved by it when it suits him. Neither can come fully to their morals even as the voices inside them are trying to pull them up out of the muck.
Overall, The House of Mirth is still not my favorite Edith Wharton novel; that still goes to The Age of Innocence. This one is more like Summer; I find that I have similar problems with both of those works. But I think that this is worth of your time if you like books about complicated women who are trying to understand the meaning of life and if they really want the things that they have been told that they want. I also really have HBO's Succession on the brain and Lily Bart in so many ways is an interesting combination of the characters of Shiv Roy and Tom Wambsgans, so if you like those, you might like this book too! This book is ultimately a tragedy and the weakest point for me was the ending, which felt a little rushed. It could also be argued that the plot gets a little circuitous toward the middle, which can make it drag a little before the end pops up on you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Abandonment, Classism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
amissabellator's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Sexism, Suicide, Classism, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racial slurs, Drug use, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, and Incest
Minor: Death of parent, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Cultural appropriation
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