About this title: Published in 1905, Edith Wharton's first novel, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, navigates the murky waters of class-bound courtship and marriage in turn-of-the-century upper-crust Manhattan. Ironic, sharp, and tragic, the novel follows beautiful, orphaned Lily Bart in her search for a rich husband--the only route open to her if she is to survive in a ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Signet Classics
Date Published: 1964-01-01
ISBN-13:9780451521439ISBN:0451521439
Description: Fair. Paperbacks are previously owned. They are all in readable condition. They may have previous owners stamps, labels or names written or on them. The covers and spine may have creasing from previously being read. The corners may be bumped and there may be a small number of bent pages. Older paperbacks may have fading or discoloration due to age/storage. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classics
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780553213201ISBN:0553213202
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Good condition. Only imperfection is slight yellowing on edge of pages. Minimal shelfwear. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 464 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Spine is well creased. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good Grade C average reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Date Published: 1981
ISBN-13:9780425073704ISBN:042507370X
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover shows moderate wear with creases and a chip on back; pages appear unmarked, lightly tanned. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classic & Loveswept, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780553213201ISBN:0553213202
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classic & Loveswept, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780553213201ISBN:0553213202
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Bantam Classic & Loveswept, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780553213201ISBN:0553213202
Description: Very good. Clean copy with light edge wear and rubbing to cover. No spine creases. Pages are clean and unmarked. No remainder mark. Trade paperback. read more
Description: Good. 0425046117 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in good condition, varying degrees of shelf wear, some spine creases, m...02609884 _ read more
Description: New. Perfectly new audio study, shrink wrapped in original box. Never opened, never played. All items listed new are brand new and have never been used. read more
"Edith Wharton is such an amazing author! Her works up until this minute haven't disappointed me. Everything about her idea/theme, how she portrays her characters, how she describes the scenes in such detailed-beautiful language, how she pours out her character's mood and expression, and how she gives a twist and ironic edge in the actions and conflict is all so...so...amazingly crafted!
Again, Wharton tells a story about the society she comes from: the New York High society with all its drama. She shows us a dark view from what seems on the surface as glamorous, fortunate and splendid. Behind all those, we see scandal, rumors, backstabbing friends, deceitful people, gambling, unfaithful marriages, etc. We see how beauty is an important factor but ironically, it can be that one thing that can destroy you.
The story centers on Lily Bart and her unfortunate fate living in the midst of that society. This is a devastating story of a woman who can be seen as a product of that society and who is a victim in the same time. This story tells the most unimaginable burden of an unmarried woman must carry in that society. In a world where working is an unthinkable thing for a woman, they become dependent financially to wealthy relatives and husbands. In Lily's case, she tries to seek marriage as her alley to maintain her social status and her glamorous way of living. She rejects the one person she actually truly loves because the guy isn't wealthy enough. So is Lily a bad character then? This is where Wharton's ability in creating a complex character becomes clear. I found myself not certain of what to think about Lily's character. At some certain moments I find Lily interesting, at other times I hate, and pity her eventually. I was immersed in Lily dark world and I cannot help being grateful that I don't live in the same type of society where Lily lives in. The way these people think, act, live is utterly depressing. At least that is how Wharton pictures it. Of all her stories I have read so far, The House of Mirth has the most tragic ending in my opinion. So be prepared."
"I absolutely loved this book. I remember really enjoying Ethan Frome in High School, and, while I haven't read The Age of Innocence, I love the film, which gives such wonderful life to Wharton's words. When I started reading The House of Mirth, I kept hearing the narration in the voice of the Narrator from the Age of Innocence film. Then I began to realize how different this novel was. While the Age of Innocence shows how stifling the social aspects of upper crust New York society can be, this novel really shows the darker side by giving us more than a glimpse of how money, reputation, and manners are of the utmost importance, and how selfishness, animosity and deceit be used to ultimately ruin a person's life.
Wharton's descriptions of physical surroundings are amazing, but I was really impressed with the way she can convey the inner feelings of her protagonist, Lily Bart. Lily's thoughts and feelings in reaction to certain situations in the novel so perfectly echoed my own thoughts and feelings at different times in my life. I cannot believe how much Wharton seemed to be in my own head. Lily's decision-making process is as complex (and flawed) as my own could be, and her ability to change her mind and convince herself of different points of view so often and so completely rings so true."
"There were elements of this book I enjoyed, but I really couldn't force myself to get into it. For all that Lily Bart was a somewhat interesting character, I couldn't force myself to care overly much about her-- until maybe the last 3 chapters (and those last three chapters are probably why I'm not rating this as two stars). Also, the plot seemed to just go in a circle through the entire novel-- Things are about to go well for Lily. Lily finds a way to sabotage things for herself. UST with Seldon. Lily barely gets out to save her pride, but still damages her reputation (more). Lather, rinse, repeat.
I'm also not all that interested in reading about characters navigating high society. I know there's more to it than that, and I could tell that the novel was very carefully crafted, but I really couldn't get excited about it-- which is probably why it took me so long to finish it.
Also, I really didn't like the depiction of Rosedale-- who was depicted as obnoxious and greedy not because that's just his personality, but was that way "by nature of his race," or to put it more plainly, because he's a Jew. I don't care right now to delve into whether that was Wharton's real view of him or just the lens through which Lily saw him because I am not going to argue about intentional fallacy, but how he was portrayed just put me off from the book even more."
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