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ajcousins's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant, and much less depressing than many of Wharton's books. That may be because she didn't finish this manuscript, and the contemporary author who does (Marion Mainwaring) manages to get a happy ending in for at least a couple of the characters, although not all. This may not be Wharton-like (I usually feel like overdosing on laudanum when I finish one of her books), but I don't care. The writing is seamless--I absolutely could not tell the difference between the original Wharton and the final chapters written by Mainwaring--and the book as a whole is brilliant. Four young American girls, the buccaneers, who can't quite scramble up to the highest level of New York Society in the 1870s, sail to London and take England by storm. Very biting commentary on all sorts of levels, but also very fun.
fadeintodawn's review against another edition
4.0
Having been badly scarred by the abrupt lack-of-conclusion in Gaskell's Wives and Daughters, I knew I needed to read the version of The Buccaneers with an added ending. I was familiar with the story, having seen the BBC/WGBH miniseries, and looked forward to reading it.
Wharton's style is much lighter than her other works, but with serious issues at stake. In these stories, marriage is not the happy ending on the last page - it is only the beginning. She follows several wealthy young American women who move to England in the hopes of marrying titled gentlemen, whose financial circumstances put them in need of "new money." This did happen in real life, and some of the stories imitate those of historical figures, with Conchita Closson standing in for Consuela Vanderbilt. The characters may live in a strict social world, but the rules are only followed on the surface. Culture clash between America and Europe is inevitable, and there are also schemes, betrayals, affairs, rivalries, and ambitions for power.
The characters do not develop a great deal, though we mostly see insights into Nan and her governess, Miss Testvalley. Nan St. George is a dreamer and romantic, trying to reconcile her childish imagination to the responsibilities and disappointments of adult life in a confining society. Miss Testvalley is practical, yet proud of her poetic lineage (being a favorite relative of Dante Gabriel Rossetti) and determined to see Nan happy. Nan's first meeting with the Duke of Tintagel is in some romantic ruins in Cornwall - a scene which (understandably) overwhelms them both in sentiment and leads to their marriage, though the ruins are clearly more symbolic of their compatibility. Nan is unprepared for the social hierarchies and duties of an English Duchess, and the Duke's cold personality (and devotion to his mother) push her away.
The last few chapters felt a bit over sentimental and, for lack of a better word, "modern" in tone. Otherwise, the added chapters feel close enough to Wharton's style to avoid becoming a distraction. If you enjoy 19th century dramas, and enjoy some soap opera style relationships, I would highly recommend The Buccaneers.
Wharton's style is much lighter than her other works, but with serious issues at stake. In these stories, marriage is not the happy ending on the last page - it is only the beginning. She follows several wealthy young American women who move to England in the hopes of marrying titled gentlemen, whose financial circumstances put them in need of "new money." This did happen in real life, and some of the stories imitate those of historical figures, with Conchita Closson standing in for Consuela Vanderbilt. The characters may live in a strict social world, but the rules are only followed on the surface. Culture clash between America and Europe is inevitable, and there are also schemes, betrayals, affairs, rivalries, and ambitions for power.
The characters do not develop a great deal, though we mostly see insights into Nan and her governess, Miss Testvalley. Nan St. George is a dreamer and romantic, trying to reconcile her childish imagination to the responsibilities and disappointments of adult life in a confining society. Miss Testvalley is practical, yet proud of her poetic lineage (being a favorite relative of Dante Gabriel Rossetti) and determined to see Nan happy. Nan's first meeting with the Duke of Tintagel is in some romantic ruins in Cornwall - a scene which (understandably) overwhelms them both in sentiment and leads to their marriage, though the ruins are clearly more symbolic of their compatibility. Nan is unprepared for the social hierarchies and duties of an English Duchess, and the Duke's cold personality (and devotion to his mother) push her away.
The last few chapters felt a bit over sentimental and, for lack of a better word, "modern" in tone. Otherwise, the added chapters feel close enough to Wharton's style to avoid becoming a distraction. If you enjoy 19th century dramas, and enjoy some soap opera style relationships, I would highly recommend The Buccaneers.
bent's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't know that this book was unfinished when I started it, although unlike some unfinished books, it ends in a decent spot. The story was amusing for the most part, although it did drag in places. Overall, an entertaining read.
suzmac's review against another edition
5.0
Good clean fun. Upstanding New York girls whose fathers have money wish to marry into titles and respectability in London society. Or rather, their mothers would like them too. Some cutthroat competition for a young duke. Plus several plain English girls will have none of it. Wharton at her very best.
stefhyena's review against another edition
3.0
A hybrid from 2 decades and 2 authors which is interesting and I admire the work behind it. It was very engaging early on and degenerated into a simple and not very satisfying romance toward the end. By far the most interesting character was Miss Testvalley who I realise was meant as a supporting-character all along but I still felt the ending did not do her justice.
After so much critical insight into classism, sexism (this is not explored and perhaps not acknowledged by the author but is a theme) and various levels of cliquey "popular" cultures (one as bad as the other though there are 3 or 4 that intersect in the book) the last thing I care about is who Nan "ends up with". I am not saying don't give her a happy ending I am saying she needs something more substantive than she got. It may not help that I didn't really click with any of the characters in the first place, they are not really relatable and as such the satire/critique should have been kept sharper. A good example of this is the softening of the gaze on Nan and Ginny's father who is a boorish entrepreneur/capitalist at the beginning and "dear old dad" by the end. I can't see clearly where the stitches are between the old and the new but my suspicions lie in the softenings and romantications of what seemed like incisive, insightful writing at the beginning.
It's possible I am being unfair to Mainwaring though considering how torn I felt about Age of Innocence.
After so much critical insight into classism, sexism (this is not explored and perhaps not acknowledged by the author but is a theme) and various levels of cliquey "popular" cultures (one as bad as the other though there are 3 or 4 that intersect in the book) the last thing I care about is who Nan "ends up with". I am not saying don't give her a happy ending I am saying she needs something more substantive than she got. It may not help that I didn't really click with any of the characters in the first place, they are not really relatable and as such the satire/critique should have been kept sharper. A good example of this is the softening of the gaze on Nan and Ginny's father who is a boorish entrepreneur/capitalist at the beginning and "dear old dad" by the end. I can't see clearly where the stitches are between the old and the new but my suspicions lie in the softenings and romantications of what seemed like incisive, insightful writing at the beginning.
It's possible I am being unfair to Mainwaring though considering how torn I felt about Age of Innocence.
courtneydoss's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think I have ever wanted to like a book more than I wanted to like this one. I mean, it was written by Edith Wharton and I LOVE everything she does, so why couldn't I love this?
Well, for one, this is a manuscript that Wharton died before finishing and which was taken by Marion Mainwaring in order to complete it. It was ended, I'm told, in the way that Wharton wanted it to be ended, which is great. But, and this is a big but, I'm not sure that Mainwaring was the right person to try to complete this.
Edith Wharton's style is very specific, and Mainwaring just didn't grasp it. The writing style changes so abruptly from one chapter to the next that it was impossible not to feel torn out of it, and I decided that I didn't even want to give it a chance. I finished the portion of the novel that was written by Wharton, plus a handful of Mainwaring's chapters, and I'm good with calling that done. I just can't make myself read something that is so unlike the writer that I started reading the book for.
That's not to say that I can't appreciate what Mainwaring did. It is an incredibly risky thing to take someone else's work and try to complete it in their style. Mainwaring apparently knows/knew a lot about Edith Wharton so I suppose she assumed that knowing about the person made her qualified to write it.
However, I also was turned off by knowing that Mainwaring saw Wharton as less than one of the greats. She didn't respect Wharton's work here, making a comment that she wouldn't have attempted this with George Eliot or Jane Austen. The fact that she didn't grasp Edith Wharton's talent and said something like this about work that she was pilfering really bothers me because I feel that Edith Wharton's work was nearly perfect, and it was largely because she edited and re-edited everything she did. This is the beginning of a project. Not the ending of it. And it frankly would have been just as good as any George Eliot or Jane Austen novel if Edith Wharton had had the time or Marion Mainwaring had had the respect to make it such. I just can't get behind someone who literally takes someone else's work, tacks on a quarter of the pages, and then has the balls to criticize the author and her work. Not a good look, in my opinion.
So, while I love Wharton and she has been a perfect author for me thus far, I have to rate this lower than I wanted to. But any flaws in it, I'm going to blame on Mainwaring.
Well, for one, this is a manuscript that Wharton died before finishing and which was taken by Marion Mainwaring in order to complete it. It was ended, I'm told, in the way that Wharton wanted it to be ended, which is great. But, and this is a big but, I'm not sure that Mainwaring was the right person to try to complete this.
Edith Wharton's style is very specific, and Mainwaring just didn't grasp it. The writing style changes so abruptly from one chapter to the next that it was impossible not to feel torn out of it, and I decided that I didn't even want to give it a chance. I finished the portion of the novel that was written by Wharton, plus a handful of Mainwaring's chapters, and I'm good with calling that done. I just can't make myself read something that is so unlike the writer that I started reading the book for.
That's not to say that I can't appreciate what Mainwaring did. It is an incredibly risky thing to take someone else's work and try to complete it in their style. Mainwaring apparently knows/knew a lot about Edith Wharton so I suppose she assumed that knowing about the person made her qualified to write it.
However, I also was turned off by knowing that Mainwaring saw Wharton as less than one of the greats. She didn't respect Wharton's work here, making a comment that she wouldn't have attempted this with George Eliot or Jane Austen. The fact that she didn't grasp Edith Wharton's talent and said something like this about work that she was pilfering really bothers me because I feel that Edith Wharton's work was nearly perfect, and it was largely because she edited and re-edited everything she did. This is the beginning of a project. Not the ending of it. And it frankly would have been just as good as any George Eliot or Jane Austen novel if Edith Wharton had had the time or Marion Mainwaring had had the respect to make it such. I just can't get behind someone who literally takes someone else's work, tacks on a quarter of the pages, and then has the balls to criticize the author and her work. Not a good look, in my opinion.
So, while I love Wharton and she has been a perfect author for me thus far, I have to rate this lower than I wanted to. But any flaws in it, I'm going to blame on Mainwaring.
megatza's review against another edition
3.0
I ended up enjoying The Buccaneers quite a lot, but it took about 150 pages (until book 3) for me to really understand the flow. This is the first time I've read anything by Edith Wharton, and I don't generally read books from this time period, but I liked stretching outside of my comfort zone a little and giving it a shot. I still don't understand how, quite literally on one page the character is dressing for dinner and on the next she's been unhappily married for two years without so much as a transition. It was a bit like watching a movie by walking into the room every 20 minutes to watch 5 minutes of a movie and then walking back out again, but then staying and watching the final 20 minutes of the movie in one sitting.
I'd have to read more Wharton, or more from that time period, before I could really comment or analyze this more.
Read Harder 2017: Read a book published between 1900 and 1950 (1938).
I'd have to read more Wharton, or more from that time period, before I could really comment or analyze this more.
Read Harder 2017: Read a book published between 1900 and 1950 (1938).
kk0sanda's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, not too bad. I did feel like there were too many characters featured in the novel.
clairen's review against another edition
2.0
L'ultimo romanzo di Edith Wharton, rimasto incompiuto, racconta la storia di alcune ragazze americane, ricche ma non di antica famiglia e perciò rifiutate dalla buona società newyorchese, che partono per il Regno Unito alla ricerca del successo in una società più gerarchica e antica, ma anche più bisognosa dei soldi dei nouveaux riches di Wall Street.
Come molti hanno fatto notare, il romanzo mette molta carne al fuoco (addirittura cinque personaggi principali, che poi perlopiù abbandona concentrandosi su due o tre), corre molto veloce con la trama e dà l'impressione, in parte anche stilisticamente che, se la Wharton non fosse morta nel frattempo, sarebbe stato significativamente rivisto e modificato. Io l'ho trovato accattivante e ben scritto ma privo della compostezza e del tono malinconico e allo stesso tempo ironico degli altri suoi romanzi, e la Wharton meno a suo agio tra i nobili inglesi rispetto alla vecchia New York in cui era nata.
Tutto sommato però una buona lettura, se non fosse che l'edizione che ho letto offre, senza soluzione di continuità con le pagine scritte dalla Wharton, un finale scritto da una certa Marion Mainwaring, che conclude il romanzo in un modo che non posso definire altro che un abominio.
Leggendo qualche articolo sulla faccenda (questa versione del libro venne pubblicata nel 1993), leggo che Mainwaring, alle critiche ricevute su questa sua conclusione, rispose le seguenti parole, che penso si commentino da sole:
"The argument that she was a great writer and how dare I? Well, I don’t think she was always a great writer, at least not as great as some. I wouldn’t have attempted this with a George Eliot or a Jane Austen novel. … Edith Wharton was not at her stylistic best here; that made it easier for me."
Nonostante la (a mio parere sciatta se non disonesta) mancanza di indicazioni su quando esattamente si smette di leggere Wharton e si inizia a leggere Mainwaring, io mi sono resa conto quasi subito che qualcosa non andava, nonostante avessi iniziato il libro convinta che le pagine concluse da qualcun altro fossero molte meno di quelle che sono effettivamente (più del 20% del romanzo): la trama diventa qualcosa di stupido e a tratti grottesco, con personaggi che si mettono a fantasticare sulla possibilità di uccidere un duca inglese in un incidente di caccia per favorire la propria ascesa sociale, e con l'apparizione in scena nientemeno che di Dante Gabriel Rossetti; i dialoghi e i monologhi interiori sono di una bruttezza imbarazzante, che non accetterei nemmeno in una soap opera: qualcuno dichiara a voce alta "I'm in love!"; una delle protagoniste è triste e pensa che vorrebbe tanto un "bear hug" da parte del padre, e in un momento precedente, dopo aver discusso col marito, dichiara che lui era "outraged. Now I understand the word. He was beyond rage".
È impossibile confondere la prosa della Wharton, raffinata, elegante, composta, caustica e allo stesso tempo ricca di comprensione per i suoi personaggi, per questa... roba. Per non parlare della assoluta incomprensione della poetica generale dell'autrice, come mostrato dal modo in cui Mainwaring conclude la storyline principale.
Se avessi scritto una cosa del genere a completamento di un romanzo di Edith Wharton (che personalmente penso sia senza alcun dubbio al livello della Austen e della Eliot), non sarei mai più potuta uscire di casa per l'imbarazzo.
E vi spoilero il finale, che è la degna conclusione, per così dire, di questa impresa:
L'amore trionfa!!!1 Avete mai visto l'amore trionfare in un romanzo della Wharton? Avete mai visto andare tutto per il meglio, tutti quanti trovare soluzioni e aggirare le strettissime regole sociali che controllano le loro vite? Bah.
Come molti hanno fatto notare, il romanzo mette molta carne al fuoco (addirittura cinque personaggi principali, che poi perlopiù abbandona concentrandosi su due o tre), corre molto veloce con la trama e dà l'impressione, in parte anche stilisticamente che, se la Wharton non fosse morta nel frattempo, sarebbe stato significativamente rivisto e modificato. Io l'ho trovato accattivante e ben scritto ma privo della compostezza e del tono malinconico e allo stesso tempo ironico degli altri suoi romanzi, e la Wharton meno a suo agio tra i nobili inglesi rispetto alla vecchia New York in cui era nata.
Tutto sommato però una buona lettura, se non fosse che l'edizione che ho letto offre, senza soluzione di continuità con le pagine scritte dalla Wharton, un finale scritto da una certa Marion Mainwaring, che conclude il romanzo in un modo che non posso definire altro che un abominio.
Leggendo qualche articolo sulla faccenda (questa versione del libro venne pubblicata nel 1993), leggo che Mainwaring, alle critiche ricevute su questa sua conclusione, rispose le seguenti parole, che penso si commentino da sole:
"The argument that she was a great writer and how dare I? Well, I don’t think she was always a great writer, at least not as great as some. I wouldn’t have attempted this with a George Eliot or a Jane Austen novel. … Edith Wharton was not at her stylistic best here; that made it easier for me."
Nonostante la (a mio parere sciatta se non disonesta) mancanza di indicazioni su quando esattamente si smette di leggere Wharton e si inizia a leggere Mainwaring, io mi sono resa conto quasi subito che qualcosa non andava, nonostante avessi iniziato il libro convinta che le pagine concluse da qualcun altro fossero molte meno di quelle che sono effettivamente (più del 20% del romanzo): la trama diventa qualcosa di stupido e a tratti grottesco, con personaggi che si mettono a fantasticare sulla possibilità di uccidere un duca inglese in un incidente di caccia per favorire la propria ascesa sociale, e con l'apparizione in scena nientemeno che di Dante Gabriel Rossetti; i dialoghi e i monologhi interiori sono di una bruttezza imbarazzante, che non accetterei nemmeno in una soap opera: qualcuno dichiara a voce alta "I'm in love!"; una delle protagoniste è triste e pensa che vorrebbe tanto un "bear hug" da parte del padre, e in un momento precedente, dopo aver discusso col marito, dichiara che lui era "outraged. Now I understand the word. He was beyond rage".
È impossibile confondere la prosa della Wharton, raffinata, elegante, composta, caustica e allo stesso tempo ricca di comprensione per i suoi personaggi, per questa... roba. Per non parlare della assoluta incomprensione della poetica generale dell'autrice, come mostrato dal modo in cui Mainwaring conclude la storyline principale.
Se avessi scritto una cosa del genere a completamento di un romanzo di Edith Wharton (che personalmente penso sia senza alcun dubbio al livello della Austen e della Eliot), non sarei mai più potuta uscire di casa per l'imbarazzo.
E vi spoilero il finale, che è la degna conclusione, per così dire, di questa impresa:
witskee1's review against another edition
3.0
It was a little odd to have a (semi) happy ending on one of Edith Wharton's novels. I wonder if it's just because someone else finished it or if she really intended it that way. It seemed like she usually ended stories with people being crushed by society instead of overcoming/running away from it.