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A review by stefhyena
The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton
3.0
A hybrid from 2 decades and 2 authors which is interesting and I admire the work behind it. It was very engaging early on and degenerated into a simple and not very satisfying romance toward the end. By far the most interesting character was Miss Testvalley who I realise was meant as a supporting-character all along but I still felt the ending did not do her justice.
After so much critical insight into classism, sexism (this is not explored and perhaps not acknowledged by the author but is a theme) and various levels of cliquey "popular" cultures (one as bad as the other though there are 3 or 4 that intersect in the book) the last thing I care about is who Nan "ends up with". I am not saying don't give her a happy ending I am saying she needs something more substantive than she got. It may not help that I didn't really click with any of the characters in the first place, they are not really relatable and as such the satire/critique should have been kept sharper. A good example of this is the softening of the gaze on Nan and Ginny's father who is a boorish entrepreneur/capitalist at the beginning and "dear old dad" by the end. I can't see clearly where the stitches are between the old and the new but my suspicions lie in the softenings and romantications of what seemed like incisive, insightful writing at the beginning.
It's possible I am being unfair to Mainwaring though considering how torn I felt about Age of Innocence.
After so much critical insight into classism, sexism (this is not explored and perhaps not acknowledged by the author but is a theme) and various levels of cliquey "popular" cultures (one as bad as the other though there are 3 or 4 that intersect in the book) the last thing I care about is who Nan "ends up with". I am not saying don't give her a happy ending I am saying she needs something more substantive than she got. It may not help that I didn't really click with any of the characters in the first place, they are not really relatable and as such the satire/critique should have been kept sharper. A good example of this is the softening of the gaze on Nan and Ginny's father who is a boorish entrepreneur/capitalist at the beginning and "dear old dad" by the end. I can't see clearly where the stitches are between the old and the new but my suspicions lie in the softenings and romantications of what seemed like incisive, insightful writing at the beginning.
It's possible I am being unfair to Mainwaring though considering how torn I felt about Age of Innocence.