A review by edwardian_girl_next_door
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

One of THE most devastating books I have read in a long time. Set in the 1910s, The Custom of the Country follows the rise of the vain, materialistic, unscrupulous, and ambitious Undine Spragg through New York society. We follow the wide swath of destruction cut by Undine on her mission for glory. The character development of the primary and secondary characters was fantastic; even the background characters were fully worked out and gave an air of cohesiveness to the story. You get the impression that Wharton enjoyed putting witty stereotypes of New York elite into such a book! As another reviewer said, they hated this book in the best way possible, and I can't help but agree. Absolutely brutal and exquisitely tragic; would read again.

Not included in content warning options but worth noting: divorce, child custody battle, child neglect

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Gaslighting