Comments on: The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Sun, 31 May 2009 01:43:38 +0000

Now that is a place to buy the book — I remember the Mount with fondness. And I hope you like the book.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:07:58 +0000

Spent the first half of the day at Edith Wharton’s estate in Lenox, Kevin. What a beautiful place!

We picked up a copy of The House of Mirth while we were there, and I am very excited to read it.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:34:44 +0000

Guy: My favorite tends to vary from day to day and even hour to hour — I’d say Custom of the Country and The Age of Innocence are the ones that are most often on top. I also hold her short stories in high esteem — NYRB put out a wonderful collection a few years ago.

By: Guy Savage

Guy Savage — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:15:48 +0000

I agree with DGR. My favourite Wharton is Custom of the Country. Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome and The House of Mirth were all required reading at one point or another, and while I thought they were all marvellous novels, Custom of the Country remains the one I think about the most.

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:13:37 +0000

Okay, Kevin, after months of suffering from your and my wife’s harsh words about my neglect to read Wharton, I’ve read and just now posted my review of The Age of Innocence.

Your persistent recommendation is greatly appreciated! It was an extraordinary book.

By: Elaine Simpson-Long

Elaine Simpson-Long — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:08:53 +0000

Welcome to the wonderful world of blogdom and delighted to see a post on Edith Wharton one of my favourite writers. The House of Mirth knocked me for six when I first read it, the ending completely ruining my holiday where I had mistakenly taken this for holiday reading. Sitting on a balcony in Sorrento weeping not how I had envisaged my day! great book and in my humble opinion, is her masterpiece though many say it is The Age of Innocence. No matter what you read of hers, be it her short stories or wonderful ghost stories, or any of her full length novels, she never disappoints.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:10:49 +0000

Hm, thanks Kevin, I shall keep an eye out for Custom of the Country and House of Mirth.

Blasphemous as it may be, I’m not sure I didn’t prefer Wharton to James, but we’ll see how that develops I guess.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:15:19 +0000

I probably feel more comfortable describing the reportage aspects of the book because I am a 60-year-old male who never had to face the issues that Lily did. Certainly your comments about "suppressed emotion, a sort of quiet desperation" are very much present in this book -- in fact, the book is really about how these feelings grow as time moves along. And it was after reading James Salter's Light Years and Yates' Revolutionary Road this fall -- both of which portray the isolation and frustration of married women in New York -- that I decided a return to Wharton and an earlier era would be appropriate. As it turned out, it certainly was. I don't know if you can find NYRB Classics where you are but they produced The New York Stories of Edith Wharton in October, 2007. That followed the 2005 publication of (selected and with an introduction by Colm Toibin) and was what convinced me that Wharton did a better job of describing early 20th century New York than James did. That probably tilts some of my comments towards the reportage angle -- in no way should it taken as suggesting there is not a lot of very good emotion in her work. One of the reasons that I think she is so good is her ability to do both.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:24:32 +0000

Interesting, so do you see this then Kevin as in some ways more interesting as a piece of reportage than as a piece of literature? An insight into a world now gone?

I thought Age of Innocence tremendous, that you suggest this as a companion piece definitely gets my interest.

One thing that struck me with Age, was Wharton’s skill at portraying suppressed emotion, a sort of quiet desperation, does that ring any bells with this work or is the tone very different?

And congratulations on your blog! I’ve added it to my own blogroll and look forward to seeing what you read next.

By: Margaret E D

Margaret E D — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:20:13 +0000

Based on your review I have placed The House of Mirth at the top of my ‘to read’ list. Having read more in the past 6 weeks than I have in the previous year I am pleased to have access to your blog to steer me towards more informed slections. Thank you!