You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I'll say that I liked Summer more, if only because the outcome seemed less predetermined, but Wharton's prose is gorgeous and her exploration of the pitfalls of society living still seem relevant, despite the 100 year gap between now and the time of publication.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
slow-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
emotional
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
Now one of my favorites of all time. This book came into my life at the perfect moment. It's about a 29 year old woman with a pile of debt who needs to find a rich man to marry her. (I'm currently 29 with student loans and feel the struggle LOL). While the first half of this reads as a romance, this story is so much more. It's about fitting into society, aging, being enslaved to money, double standards for men and women, and love. Is a loveless marriage for money and societal acceptance worth it? Wharton's writing is beautiful. I bawled my eyes out at the end. I thought I was prepared, since I know Wharton is famous for her endings, but I was not. I never cry while reading books but this was probably the most I've cried over a book in years. Lily Bart will hold a special place in my heart. Lily struggles to fit into society and I relate so strongly with her. We were the same age, same background, and so many of the flaws Lily had I have too. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I slowed down reading this one because I didn't want to leave these characters. They are all flawed but so relatable even to today. I almost picked up Age of Innocence to read instead by her this month, but I am so glad I changed my mind at the last minute. Edith Wharton is a new favorite author of mine.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a heartwrenching take and one that needs to be read. It looks at an aspect of life that we still in this current society don't talk about.
I feel so sorry for Lily Bart throughout the entire novel.
I feel so sorry for Lily Bart throughout the entire novel.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Required reading for American Modern
Content Warnings
Gambling tw
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really enjoyed Edith Wharton's writing, but this book was a bit long and slow in parts. Would be a good book to discuss at book club. Can't say much else or I'll give the ending away.
I read this several years ago and just finished re-reading it. I feel about Lily Bart the same way I feel about Jay Gatsby - infuriated and sympathetic all at the same time. In the late 19th century New York, Lily has been raised to value certain class attributes, a way of life that requires money. But she is a young woman who has been left on her own and her money is running out. Her options are limited - women didn't have careers. She has to find a husband, a process that is complicated and undermined by her love for Lawrence Seldon, a man who has very little money. As her situation grows more desperate, so do her actions.
Lily is not an entirely sympathetic character. She's manipulative and often inconsiderate of those she sees as belonging to a lower class. Yet Wharton fills in her background in a way that makes the reader see how Lily was molded as a young girl, how trapped she is, and how life is not really giving her too many chances to be a better person. I still wanted to reach into the pages and shake some sense into her.
Lily is not an entirely sympathetic character. She's manipulative and often inconsiderate of those she sees as belonging to a lower class. Yet Wharton fills in her background in a way that makes the reader see how Lily was molded as a young girl, how trapped she is, and how life is not really giving her too many chances to be a better person. I still wanted to reach into the pages and shake some sense into her.