timelesstulip 's review for:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

2.0

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I appreciate Wharton's detailed perspective of New York society. However, I found the book to be dull in many places. The most engaging chapter I read was the final chapter of the book. Wharton's goal in writing this piece was to shed light on the scandals that rocked the upper crust of society, a society that was often sheltered from public scandal. Wharton did not shy away from discussing topics that were not talked about during her time. Maybe I am so used to reading about scandals among celebrities that I could not fully appreciate the scandals that jarred New York society in the 1870s.

I learned that the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" originated from Edith Wharton's wealthy father. Wharton was born into a family that socially popular and very wealthy.