Reviews

A really interesting story that ends up being an interesting commentary on women during the Gilded Age. The storytelling kind of zooms in on one situation for a little while, then zooms out and moves on to the next situation (which may be days, weeks, months, or years later). This method works in immersing the reader with a specific character for a while before moving on to the next one. I wish Nan St. George was real!

linnea1m's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

seanac's review against another edition

Go to review page

This book was a slog. 82% through, 1.5 hours of reading and I found that I did not care enough for any character to see how a single story ended.

sgmiller46's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Didn't have the same affect as House of Mirth or the Age of Innocence, but it was a fun if pulpier read. You can really tell where Wharton leaves off and the other writer steps in, the writing definitely goes down in quality.

bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Review of The Buccaneers

By: Edith Wharton & Marion Mainwaring

Set in 1870s, first in New York City and then England, the St. George girls, Virginia and Annabel “Nan” are having trouble coming out in society, because they’re of “New” money. Their mother hires a new governess for Nan from England, Miss Testvalley, and feeling sympathetic to the girls suggests that their mother send them to England. At first, it goes well, and Nan sees it as a magical experience, but when she marries the Duke of Tintagel the marriage begins to break down her spirit. She meets Guy Thwarte, whose passion matches her own and the couple fall in love.

There are characters that I feel are relatable in books I have read, but only a handful that I feel I am a lot like. I feel Annabel is someone I could see myself in, minus her situation obviously. Her dreamy eyedness and her looking at going to England as a magical adventure. I think the main reason why her marriage to the duke, failed is because both Annabel and the Duke fell in love with an idea of each other. The duke is cold hearted and a momma’s boy. His hobby of clock making is endearing at first, but he looks at Annabel something to own and be fixed like a clock. He lets his mom do everything that he doesn’t want to deal with and expects Annabel to fall in line. While Nan has a stronger connection with Guy than the duke. They have the same interests and see the world the same way. Guy doesn’t treat Nan as a child, but the duke sees her as someone to be controlled and scolded. He talks down to her and dismisses her. The fact that Nan’s sister and her friends disappear from the story demonstrates how isolated she is. He keeps her captive and all he cares about is how she can preserve his legacy by giving him an heir. He doesn’t even care about being a father just that he needs an heir, and it has to be a boy. Out of Wharton’s works I have read, this one has the most hopeful ending, but that could be because a Wharton scholar took over since she died before she could finish the novel.

Content Warnings

sjstuart's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Quite enjoyable. The transatlantic spin on social satire allows (gentle) critiques of both Gilded Age American and Victorian English culture. The characters all have distinct quirks, most of which are instrumental in advancing the plot, so everything fits together in a satisfying way.

I'm much happier to read a completed version of the novel than an unfinished one, but I think if you quizzed me before I read the afterword I'd have been able to identify, at least approximately, the point where Wharton left off and Mainwaring took over. The more introspective characters seemed to lose their internal voices, and the plot threads started heading straight towards their conclusions without meandering much on the way.

kt_s's review against another edition

Go to review page

fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

More...