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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
it was basically just a bunch of rich people gossiping and going to each other’s houses, with the main character yapping some kind of nonsense 24/7
over-excessive with details sometimes, but such a great book. depicts the regrettable (but very real) romance and all the stuffy societal norms of that era that always gets in the way of everybody and everything so well. a super underrated classic.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
NEWLAND GET OVER YOURSELFFF (dallas i would die for you)
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Edith Wharton I was not familiar with your game....
I thought this novel was incredibly good, even though I was a bit wary considering it was published serially; normally that bodes ill for my enjoyment of a story. Wharton planned this book very well, however, and there was very little fat in the plot to slow everything down. Her use of constant repetition served the point well - the whole novel has a center theme of the rigidness of New York Gilded Age society, and constantly having it reflected in the writing (count how many times May is called "Diana", or the grandmother "ancestress" and you'll see what I mean) lends a consistent and insistent tone. This is just one clear detail of Wharton's writing that in my opinion shows the skill of the author, in truth the whole novel was extremely well done in my opinion. Every word and sentence point the reader to the proverbial elephants in the room of Wharton's themes and theses.
Speaking of themes and theses! The Age of Innocence has a lot to unpack, both shallow and deep.
On the surface you see Wharton's double-edged sword of nostalgia and criticism of the high society she grew up in, its failings and triumphs, the constraints wrapped around everyone within in, how it worked and how it changed, a web of rules and etiquette that is as monumental in the system as it is meaningless outside of it. At the center is Ellen Olenska - who I believe is much more the main character than Newland Archer. She is truly who drives the plot, had she not returned to New York the young Archer would have never been shaken out of his destined path and set many of the events in motion, as he himself acknowledged. Ellen, with all of her scandal and "wild" ways, exposes the hypocrisy and cruel nature of the family and society that is supposed to welcome her home, to be on her side. They are for a time, until they perceive her to be more harm than good, as unfair as it may be. This is another book that made me think multiple times, "thank God for the middle class and for modern divorce." And it seems that I was supposed to come to that conclusion, Wharton knew what the world become, for better or worse. Wharton wrote this book much later than it was set and is meant to juxtapose the relative "innocence" of this upper crust society with the immediate consequences of WW1 that would hit American a few decades after the events of the novel. Gone would be the days when the rich and affluent of New York had only scandal and stagnation to fear of the world, safely ensconced in their stratified world. With the semi-omniscient knowledge the reader possesses of trench warfare, biological weapons, death and destruction all lingering in the back of the mind while reading, it lends a darkly ironic feeling that hovers over your shoulder amidst the grand ballrooms and decadent parties.
TLDR; it was very good. Please read it.
I thought this novel was incredibly good, even though I was a bit wary considering it was published serially; normally that bodes ill for my enjoyment of a story. Wharton planned this book very well, however, and there was very little fat in the plot to slow everything down. Her use of constant repetition served the point well - the whole novel has a center theme of the rigidness of New York Gilded Age society, and constantly having it reflected in the writing (count how many times May is called "Diana", or the grandmother "ancestress" and you'll see what I mean) lends a consistent and insistent tone. This is just one clear detail of Wharton's writing that in my opinion shows the skill of the author, in truth the whole novel was extremely well done in my opinion. Every word and sentence point the reader to the proverbial elephants in the room of Wharton's themes and theses.
Speaking of themes and theses! The Age of Innocence has a lot to unpack, both shallow and deep.
On the surface you see Wharton's double-edged sword of nostalgia and criticism of the high society she grew up in, its failings and triumphs, the constraints wrapped around everyone within in, how it worked and how it changed, a web of rules and etiquette that is as monumental in the system as it is meaningless outside of it. At the center is Ellen Olenska - who I believe is much more the main character than Newland Archer. She is truly who drives the plot, had she not returned to New York the young Archer would have never been shaken out of his destined path and set many of the events in motion, as he himself acknowledged. Ellen, with all of her scandal and "wild" ways, exposes the hypocrisy and cruel nature of the family and society that is supposed to welcome her home, to be on her side. They are for a time, until they perceive her to be more harm than good, as unfair as it may be. This is another book that made me think multiple times, "thank God for the middle class and for modern divorce." And it seems that I was supposed to come to that conclusion, Wharton knew what the world become, for better or worse. Wharton wrote this book much later than it was set and is meant to juxtapose the relative "innocence" of this upper crust society with the immediate consequences of WW1 that would hit American a few decades after the events of the novel. Gone would be the days when the rich and affluent of New York had only scandal and stagnation to fear of the world, safely ensconced in their stratified world. With the semi-omniscient knowledge the reader possesses of trench warfare, biological weapons, death and destruction all lingering in the back of the mind while reading, it lends a darkly ironic feeling that hovers over your shoulder amidst the grand ballrooms and decadent parties.
TLDR; it was very good. Please read it.
Me when a woman wants to leave her husband who she hates for another man: WOOHOO!! YOU GO GIRL!!!
Me when a man wants to leave his wife who he hates for another woman: What is WRONG with you man
Me when a man wants to leave his wife who he hates for another woman: What is WRONG with you man
"You never did ask each other anything, did you? And you never told each other anything. You just sat and watched each other, and guessed at what was going on underneath."
One of my favorite reads this year. At first you think it’s a typical entry in the genre but it was surprisingly engaging and thought provoking.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes