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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
this book made me feel so deeply, it hurt my heart with its deep longing and stifling social atmosphere, that I had to put it down every time it became too much for me to handle. Hence why this took me so long to read. Genuinely a masterpiece in my eyes.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a complex and intense character drama that reminded me of how Tolstoy writes his characters. This was the first book I've read that could match him for a dinner party scene. The same elements of a person knowing something and then saying something else, or two characters making eye contact and knowing something important about each other was present here. I really enjoyed the fact that this was set in New York and not somewhere in England. I've never read a Gilded Age book before and the vibe was different from anything I've read before. The American Spirit was deep in the propriety of the book and I am interested to read more.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
one time for a film class we watched a movie about a housewife, and to show the monotony of her work the film was excessively slow and boring. and i hated it. but everyone insisted that i just didn't get it, that the boredom was part of the movie. But like -- I understood that perfectly. and i still hated it.
that's how i felt about this book too: so many characters -- too many to keep track of, literally had no clue who anyone was -- who talked about nonsensical drama, too much describing of the specifics of how someone's dress or apartment looked. and yes, i understood completely that this was likely intentional to show how confusing and abstract the old new york ways and customs were.and i still hated it. so...what now?
also, archer sucked. hated him. so annoying. both ellen and may were too good for him. the romance between him and ellen was especially consfusing because like where was the chemistry... he liked ellen because she was not like the other new york girls and she liked him because he was not like the other new york guys...ok? sure...
but also i'm not really a romance person, i only read this one because i thought historical and classic romances might seem to me more romantic but i was still bored and uncaring about the problems of rich straight people sawryyyyyy
however, the pros: writing was beautiful (a little hard at times though) and the last 50-ish pages had so much drama i was kind of really into it
that's how i felt about this book too: so many characters -- too many to keep track of, literally had no clue who anyone was -- who talked about nonsensical drama, too much describing of the specifics of how someone's dress or apartment looked. and yes, i understood completely that this was likely intentional to show how confusing and abstract the old new york ways and customs were.and i still hated it. so...what now?
also, archer sucked. hated him. so annoying. both ellen and may were too good for him. the romance between him and ellen was especially consfusing because like where was the chemistry... he liked ellen because she was not like the other new york girls and she liked him because he was not like the other new york guys...ok? sure...
but also i'm not really a romance person, i only read this one because i thought historical and classic romances might seem to me more romantic but i was still bored and uncaring about the problems of rich straight people sawryyyyyy
however, the pros: writing was beautiful (a little hard at times though) and the last 50-ish pages had so much drama i was kind of really into it
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"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.