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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Brilliant, heartbreaking and often hilarious. Just three adjectives that come to mind to describe this stunning piece of literature by the fabulous Edith Wharton. The density of language packed such a huge wollop but also delivered such a simple message. The beautiful turns of phrase illuminated both the certainty and confusion of Lily's life. While Lily seemed so sure of her path, she was indeed confused and battered by the circumstances in which she found herself. The crushing weight of her beauty and its attendant expectations along with the strictures of the society into which she was born placed Lily in a really untenable situation. Simply loved this book.
Giving this 2 stars because I read this book going through a tough time, like Lily, struggling to accept that the things she wants most in life are slipping out of her grip.
I needed her to help me through this and be a heroine, not kill herself.
I needed her to help me through this and be a heroine, not kill herself.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked Wharton's writing quite a bit and really enjoyed the first half or so of the book. However, the second half just seemed to be a continuation rather than development of the first and I was pretty bored with the characters and injustice that the plot relied on.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5⭐️
First it is important to set aside (at least it was for me) any compulsion to criticise these people brought up with so much money they “never” have to struggle for material things and survival, and that they were conditioned by the skin color and upbringing in a conservative Golden Age NY high society that was, as it is presented, so prejudiced of anything different and below, any enticing oddity only commented by its level of entertainment but never to be nothing more.
Lily Bart is a creature born to be seen, objectified, to use her beauty and mind to conquer all, new and old money, and to be above all, the smartest, the most beautiful, but the truth is that there is more to her heart than vanity and superficiality, and therefore at 29, when the tale starts, she has yet to settle, somehow there is always something inside her that makes her thwart it. However, facing the prospective of dwindling beauty, which will eventually come, and her many debts accrued trying to maintain the same lifestyle as the actually rich that have taken her under their wing to show off at their parties as a trophy of beauty and talent, she knows she has to close the deal and marry.
Still, she will struggle. And, when love unbeknownst to her appears in the shape of a man who challenges her but can never give her the life she is used to, she will spiral, bouncing between contradicting decisions, and its repercussions.
I don’t want to give much away, but I can say that like with The Age of Innocence, this is a melancholic tale, filled with dichotomic thoughts about wealth and morals, about the solitude and repression of womanhood and its prospects.
I loved this one, I cried and suffered with Lily, and I found it superior to the author’s most famous work.
If you want to try Edith Wharton I would suggest this one to start with.
First it is important to set aside (at least it was for me) any compulsion to criticise these people brought up with so much money they “never” have to struggle for material things and survival, and that they were conditioned by the skin color and upbringing in a conservative Golden Age NY high society that was, as it is presented, so prejudiced of anything different and below, any enticing oddity only commented by its level of entertainment but never to be nothing more.
Lily Bart is a creature born to be seen, objectified, to use her beauty and mind to conquer all, new and old money, and to be above all, the smartest, the most beautiful, but the truth is that there is more to her heart than vanity and superficiality, and therefore at 29, when the tale starts, she has yet to settle, somehow there is always something inside her that makes her thwart it. However, facing the prospective of dwindling beauty, which will eventually come, and her many debts accrued trying to maintain the same lifestyle as the actually rich that have taken her under their wing to show off at their parties as a trophy of beauty and talent, she knows she has to close the deal and marry.
Still, she will struggle. And, when love unbeknownst to her appears in the shape of a man who challenges her but can never give her the life she is used to, she will spiral, bouncing between contradicting decisions, and its repercussions.
I don’t want to give much away, but I can say that like with The Age of Innocence, this is a melancholic tale, filled with dichotomic thoughts about wealth and morals, about the solitude and repression of womanhood and its prospects.
I loved this one, I cried and suffered with Lily, and I found it superior to the author’s most famous work.
If you want to try Edith Wharton I would suggest this one to start with.
I finished the last chapter in the bathtub, and between my wet hands and my tears the final pages were quite damp. I knew going into the book that it was a tragedy, but damn. An elegantly written elegy to the suffering of women born to the aspirations of money but not the means.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-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
I fell in love with Wharton's writing when I read "The Age of Innocence". She is an authentic American classic writer, who observes majestically the fabrics of society of the period. I especially adore the way she writes about women, who have strong, down-to-earth personalities and they usually choose to walk the "morally ambiguous" path.
In "The House of Mirth", we meet ill-fated Lily Barth, who is single at the age of 29, which is a stigma for the New Yorkers of that time. However, she is not concerned about that the unmarried self but money and luxury, both of which are in the centerpoint of her life as she was brought up to care for them. She lures rich husbands to her trap but eventually cannot get through with it just for the sake of money and social position. She encounters countless problems, becomes notorious among family and friends due to some malignancy of the loved ones. In a penniless, miserable life of social exclusion, she becomes desperate but content that she does not owe anyone anything and relieves herself from the duties of life and society by taking her own life.
In the heartrending story of Miss Barth, you feel the obligations created by the society and imposed on single women, how it was so easy to become notorious especially if they without financial security and family inheritance.
“She was so evidently the victim of the civilization which had produced her, that the links of her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate.”
In "The House of Mirth", we meet ill-fated Lily Barth, who is single at the age of 29, which is a stigma for the New Yorkers of that time. However, she is not concerned about that the unmarried self but money and luxury, both of which are in the centerpoint of her life as she was brought up to care for them. She lures rich husbands to her trap but eventually cannot get through with it just for the sake of money and social position. She encounters countless problems, becomes notorious among family and friends due to some malignancy of the loved ones. In a penniless, miserable life of social exclusion, she becomes desperate but content that she does not owe anyone anything and relieves herself from the duties of life and society by taking her own life.
In the heartrending story of Miss Barth, you feel the obligations created by the society and imposed on single women, how it was so easy to become notorious especially if they without financial security and family inheritance.
“She was so evidently the victim of the civilization which had produced her, that the links of her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate.”