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unfortunatelycole's review against another edition
5.0
i am ruined. i am utterly devastated. i will never come back from this one
happylilkt's review against another edition
5.0
An exquisite tragedy. I think the way I despised Lily Bart for the first 3/4 of the novel added to its beauty.
libraryofdreaming's review
4.0
NEVER was a book more ironically titled. I feel as if I have been pummeled through a train wreck of depression. A beautiful train wreck, but still saturated with doom and the unattainability of happiness and love.
Lily Bart has risen very high on the list of characters I would like to shake and then take home and snuggle in a blanket. I may need a PROTECT LILY BART t-shirt or something. What a beautifully written, tragic character! You hate her sometimes and you love her other times, but above all want to save her from her fate. I think she really is a product of her literary time and yet again I am impressed with Edith Wharton's ability to portray and criticize the Gilded Age. It is also a testament to Wharton's skill that we are able to see the pathos and the ridiculousness of Lily's situation. Comfortably sitting in the 21st century, we could be tempted to condemn Lily completely for so desperately wanting wealth and a position in "society", but I could not do so. The pangs of betrayal, poverty, and even a craving for social success still reverberate to our time. I could even see a little of my darker self in the want to be received as a equal, but still revered as something more. I think it was a very good thing I had seen the movie before I read the book, otherwise I would have been absolutely destroyed by every failure and plot twist. Even knowing what a first-time reader would not know, each little rise and fall of hope gave me a pang. The book reads exactly like a classic tragedy as each hope is cruelly dashed by fate.
Even with its extremely depressing tone, this book is still fascinating and worthy to be revered as a classic. I'm not sure it will attain a place on my favorites list because of its sad tone, but I still admire its beautiful language, the cruel yet clever plots, and the little drops of truth scattered throughout its pages.
Lily Bart has risen very high on the list of characters I would like to shake and then take home and snuggle in a blanket. I may need a PROTECT LILY BART t-shirt or something. What a beautifully written, tragic character! You hate her sometimes and you love her other times, but above all want to save her from her fate. I think she really is a product of her literary time and yet again I am impressed with Edith Wharton's ability to portray and criticize the Gilded Age. It is also a testament to Wharton's skill that we are able to see the pathos and the ridiculousness of Lily's situation. Comfortably sitting in the 21st century, we could be tempted to condemn Lily completely for so desperately wanting wealth and a position in "society", but I could not do so. The pangs of betrayal, poverty, and even a craving for social success still reverberate to our time. I could even see a little of my darker self in the want to be received as a equal, but still revered as something more. I think it was a very good thing I had seen the movie before I read the book, otherwise I would have been absolutely destroyed by every failure and plot twist. Even knowing what a first-time reader would not know, each little rise and fall of hope gave me a pang. The book reads exactly like a classic tragedy as each hope is cruelly dashed by fate.
Even with its extremely depressing tone, this book is still fascinating and worthy to be revered as a classic. I'm not sure it will attain a place on my favorites list because of its sad tone, but I still admire its beautiful language, the cruel yet clever plots, and the little drops of truth scattered throughout its pages.
noesbookishthings's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good, but the last part of it disturbed me and I cried through it (I've been crying a lot while reading books lately...). Lily reminded me a lot of myself and that made me a little bit uncomfortable. She's spoiled, self-centered, preoccupied with image, bad with money and debt and unable to commit. She has a bad habit of doing things her own way and ignoring advice, often making things much harder for herself than they need to be. I think because of this and my being able to relate so well to Lily, the end of the book really rattled me. I had been reading a lot of Austen lately and didn't see it coming at all.
ashction's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I actually really liked this one until they went to the Mediterranean, and then everything became ridiculous and sad and unnecessary.
danastaples's review
5.0
My friend Haley wrote part of her dissertation on House of Mirth and did a House of Mirth read-a-long series on her Substack -“closely reading”. I highly recommend it! It was incredible to read this novel with her expertise, thoughtful questions, historical context, contemporary connections, and literary knowledge to guide me every step of the way. Now I feel spoiled and will have a hard time reading any classic without an expert holding my hand through the experience- it felt like being in a college literature class again and I LOVED it.
Edith Wharton’s every sentence is a masterpiece— I would frequently read one over and over and just marvel at how *good* that sentence was! This book contains some of the best prose I’ve ever read.
Edith Wharton’s every sentence is a masterpiece— I would frequently read one over and over and just marvel at how *good* that sentence was! This book contains some of the best prose I’ve ever read.
rachelparaski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kashna83's review against another edition
2.0
Lo siento.... es que el final no me gustó nada... supongo que no estaba en el mood adecuado y me sentó fatal.
marilenakarra26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0