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A review by jendewind
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
4.0
Wow. I can see why House of Mirth was one of Wharton’s most famous books. I was a bit surprised by the timelessness of Wharton’s themes. There is so much hope for Lily, high society’s under dog. She just can’t seem to decide what she wants, burning bridges left and right. It was at times difficult for me to sympathize with Lily. She lived such a glamorous life, typical of the wealthy and well bred in NY at the time. However, she is so ruined by status and the choices she makes to achieve it, leaving me almost pitying her. The resolution was sad but a tragic relief from the burden I felt reading of Lily’s demise.
“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.”
“She had been bored all afternoon by Percy Gryce... but she could not ignore him on the morrow, she must follow up her success, must submit to more boredom, must be ready with fresh compliances and adaptibilities, and all on the bare chance that he might ultimately decide to do her the honour of boring her for life.”
“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.”
“She had been bored all afternoon by Percy Gryce... but she could not ignore him on the morrow, she must follow up her success, must submit to more boredom, must be ready with fresh compliances and adaptibilities, and all on the bare chance that he might ultimately decide to do her the honour of boring her for life.”