becks29 's review for:

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

4.0

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My rating doesn't show it, but I was kinda torn on this one. I was going between a 3 or 4, and bumped it up because it is truly a good book. But did I enjoy it? I don't know. It was really well written, the story was told beautifully, and the characters were richly developed and fascinating. My emotional reaction to Lily Bart's situation changed drastically throughout the book, and I found myself pitying her and hoping for a miraculous Jane Austen-like ending where she was saved by the true love of a kind and very rich man who respects her autonomy. I found myself liking her and hating her oppressors, so by all metrics, you'd assume I really enjoyed this book. But instead, this was one of the most depressing books I've ever read, which makes it hard to find true "enjoyment." This is the kind of novel you pick up when life sucks and you want to wallow in a situation that's really worse than yours, just to feel better about your own life, which is just sad and pathetic and depressing, and usually not something I choose to do. But, if you like despairing over a fictional character's descent from greatness, watching as she slowly but consistently fails to live up to her potential and refuses to take any actions which would improve her life - even if some of those choices might compromise her ethics - then this is the book for you. It's really great, but I just can't take pleasure in Lily's failure of a life.