Edith Wharton

[dheyd]

I was required to read Ethan Frome for a college class and I really enjoyed Wharton's style of writing. I have to admit though, that at times I found Ethan's character annoying because he is unable to make a decision. Although with all the going back and forth with himself, I never expected the ending.

[Charlotte Reese]

What are the themes of her stories?

I've only read two of her novels, "The Age of Innocence" and "The House of Mirth" which are about the privileged class of early 20th century New York society. The themes of her novels include the stifling demands of society versus individual happiness, the conflict between duty and personal fulfillment and the constricted roles of women in marriage and society.

[suzy1124]

A truly incredible writer!...an anomaly in the fact that even though very " prolific " ( 38 books in her lifetime ) she still retained her greatness...

[Lil Reads]

I think Age of Innocence is one of my favorite books; it was so emotionally powerful as it was hard to decide who to feel sorry for, especially since no one in the central love triangle goes out to be cruel to each other.

I read over half of House of Mirth while I was at the optometrist near the end of the year not too long ago. I kept internally begging Lily Bart that everything was going wrong.

Has anyone read any of her nonfiction works?

[Vscholz]

House of Mirth, definitely! It is one of my favorite books of all time. Lily Bart is a very real character--she doesn't seem like a cardboard cutout in any way. And I know the end is sad, but it is real. Every time I read this book I get more out of it. I almost put this book as my favorite book, but Jane Eyre just barely edged out. Read it!

I have only read House of Mirth and forget about the others until they are mentioned. My studies in literature are mostly British--I think I only took two or three American lit classes and those were as an undergrad.

I read this book for my American Contemporary Novel class many moons ago. I really enjoyed it and I agree that while it is a bit tragic, it is authentic and sincere. Lily doesn't feel like a forced character and she is relatively easy to relate to