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linaleigh's review against another edition
3.0
I liked her characters (for the most part) and her plot, but something about her writing just does not grip me. I've been coming back to this book off and on for over a year, and I've finally managed to plow through it.
Still, I'd take this over "House of Mirth" ANY DAY.
Still, I'd take this over "House of Mirth" ANY DAY.
burrowsi1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
lostalbatross's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ricefun's review against another edition
4.0
I can see why this novel is less popular than other Wharton novels. The main character is difficult to like and the world of Paris in WWI is not nearly as well drawn and dazzling as her New York novels. I will admit that I had a very difficult time keeping characters straight throughout this novel. Other than the main character and his son, others moved in and out through a fog and weren't particularly memorable.
I did appreciate the story more and more as it went on though. While Campton is not always a likable character, I think Wharton wrote a very real character who has some admirable qualities and also exhibits some miss judgement, prejudice, and unlikable qualities. His investment in how dramatically the war should be affecting all lives in contrast with much of the rest of his connections who find they are living as if nothing is happening is certainly a quality that reminds me of how very often we can ignore major world events or injustices because our own lives are unaffected.
Wharton was certainly in the thick of the action surrounding WWI, so this is a world and era she knows well. I suspect that, were I to know many of the key French personalities of that era I would see reflections in many of her characters. I don't think I will ever enjoy Wharton's war novels as much as her society novels and stories, but I am learning to value them a great and thoughtful writing from someone who's work has endured.
I did appreciate the story more and more as it went on though. While Campton is not always a likable character, I think Wharton wrote a very real character who has some admirable qualities and also exhibits some miss judgement, prejudice, and unlikable qualities. His investment in how dramatically the war should be affecting all lives in contrast with much of the rest of his connections who find they are living as if nothing is happening is certainly a quality that reminds me of how very often we can ignore major world events or injustices because our own lives are unaffected.
Wharton was certainly in the thick of the action surrounding WWI, so this is a world and era she knows well. I suspect that, were I to know many of the key French personalities of that era I would see reflections in many of her characters. I don't think I will ever enjoy Wharton's war novels as much as her society novels and stories, but I am learning to value them a great and thoughtful writing from someone who's work has endured.
graywacke's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Wharton, a well-to-do American living in Paris during WWI, wrote a novel that somewhat parallels her experience. What's odd is that she chose an unpleasant main character, a self-centered male painter divorced, in a way due to his own neglect of his family, and the father of a miliary-age, French born American son, legally required to join the French army in case of war. We can relate to him, regardless. And what comes across is partially a window in the American expat experience at that time in Paris. Wharton had no children, and it's hard to buy her take on parental fears as having real truth, but she imagines well. I think this is an important novel because of that window in the expat experience, and perspective of WWI. But it's lands plotless here and there, leaving us readers stuck with this unpleasant dad in some drama doldrums. So, for Wharton, it's only ok.
crabbyabbe's review
challenging
emotional
informative
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
4.0
Wharton's writing is simply gorgeous. The story is mainly seen from the parents' point of view, especially John Campton, George's father. The horrors of what parents go through when their child goes to war are riveting, yet I wanted to view the war more through George's eyes since he is the son of said title. Still a pick mainly for Wharton's understanding of France during such a turbulent period of history.