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toffishay's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love Edith Wharton; she is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. This plot should be so boring to me! It's a book about rich white aristocrats in 1870s New York, their "high society" troubles, and how their insulated culture prevents anyone in it from truly living. In Newland, we have a character who struggles against the bounds of his society while also finding comfort, security, and identity. In Ellen/Madame Olenska, we have a woman who was raised a little unconventionally and had her fancied nurtured in a way that set her up for failure in a world that still expected her to conform. And May is a woman who represents that old society and lives fully in it in a way that supports her and does not allow her to see what she is missing. All of these characters come together and interact in this melodrama that kept me turning the page. Wharton writes them all in a way that is so human and even when I hate Newland, I feel for him. You pity and understand him. He makes things harder for himself, but he doesn't have as many options as he would want either and there is a sadness that underlines so much of these characters and their lives. This edition had a lot of helpful endnotes and footnotes to explain the references that I did not understand. I think that Wharton is such a writer's writer as well and studying her would be so useful to those looking to tell their own stories of the human condition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Pregnancy
annapox's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, Classism, and Infidelity
Minor: Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Ableism, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Racial slurs
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