What do you think?
Rate this book
Mrs. Manstey's View
In the very next enclosure did not a magnolia open its hard white flowers against the watery blue of April? And was there not, a little way down the line, a fence foamed over every May be lilac waves of wistaria? Farther still, a horse-chestnut lifted its candelabra of buff and pink blossoms above broad fans of foliage; while in the opposite yard June was sweet with the breath of a neglected syringa, which persisted in growing in spite of the countless obstacles opposed to its welfare.
ebook
First published January 1, 1893
2 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Edith Wharton
1,502 books5,345 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 19, 2023
This is a short story published in 1891. The protagonist is poor, elderly and resists social interaction entirely. She sits day in and day out at her back window in her dwelling where she has resided for the past 17 years.
The view is dismal to match Mrs. Manstey’s view of her life, with the exception of a few flowers that can be seen from the window.
Much to her chagrin, there is to be an extension built to the apartment building next door which will block her view. She must take extraordinary measures to prevent this.
This, of course takes place in Old New York, but unlike most of Edith Wharton’s work, the scene is not opulent and the people are not regal.
I didn’t enjoy the story much. It was depressing to me. It was the author’s first published short story. I can assure everyone that she honed her considerable talent nicely as time went on.
This is from the anthology, The New York Stories of Edith Wharton.
The view is dismal to match Mrs. Manstey’s view of her life, with the exception of a few flowers that can be seen from the window.
Much to her chagrin, there is to be an extension built to the apartment building next door which will block her view. She must take extraordinary measures to prevent this.
This, of course takes place in Old New York, but unlike most of Edith Wharton’s work, the scene is not opulent and the people are not regal.
I didn’t enjoy the story much. It was depressing to me. It was the author’s first published short story. I can assure everyone that she honed her considerable talent nicely as time went on.
This is from the anthology, The New York Stories of Edith Wharton.
February 25, 2020
“The view surrounded and shaped her life as the sea does a lonely island.”
An understated gem about finding and defending beauty where others don't even look. Mrs Manstey is an impoverished widow who rarely leaves her lodgings, but loves her “view in which the most optimistic eye would at first have failed to discover anything admirable”. Rear Window came to mind.
* “Patches of earth showed through the snow, like ink-spots spread on a sheet of white blotting paper.”
* “Wet and radiant, the blue reappeared through torn rags of cloud.”
* “The sunset was perfect and a roseate light, transfiguring the distant spire, lingered in the west.”
More Wharton Stories
I read this as one of twenty stories in The New York Stories of Edith Wharton , which I reviewed here.
Reading them one after the other made me notice her favoured ingredients, from which she selected a unique combination for each story, and which led me to concoct a recipe for Write Your Own Wharton Short Story, which I posted here.
An understated gem about finding and defending beauty where others don't even look. Mrs Manstey is an impoverished widow who rarely leaves her lodgings, but loves her “view in which the most optimistic eye would at first have failed to discover anything admirable”. Rear Window came to mind.
* “Patches of earth showed through the snow, like ink-spots spread on a sheet of white blotting paper.”
* “Wet and radiant, the blue reappeared through torn rags of cloud.”
* “The sunset was perfect and a roseate light, transfiguring the distant spire, lingered in the west.”
More Wharton Stories
I read this as one of twenty stories in The New York Stories of Edith Wharton , which I reviewed here.
Reading them one after the other made me notice her favoured ingredients, from which she selected a unique combination for each story, and which led me to concoct a recipe for Write Your Own Wharton Short Story, which I posted here.
September 26, 2023
An early short story from Edith Wharton—her first to appear in print.
Mrs. Manstey's view, from the bay window of her room in a boarding house, was treasured because of the greenery and a parade of blossoms. An April-blooming magnolia tree is a feature, and a trigger. The lushness of the botanical detail, and evocative descriptions, illustrates Edith Wharton's own love of gardens.
Edith Wharton became known for novels such as The Age of Innocence which dwell on New York society. In her early stories, Wharton was more inclined to look at the lives of working class people. Mrs. Manstey was the widow of a clerk, a lonely (if not alone) older woman, whose view also sought to encompass the lives of the servants and cooks in the houses across the lane.
"Perhaps at heart Mrs. Manstey was an artist" — surely, Edith Wharton is projecting herself into that suggestion!
Mrs. Manstey's view, from the bay window of her room in a boarding house, was treasured because of the greenery and a parade of blossoms. An April-blooming magnolia tree is a feature, and a trigger. The lushness of the botanical detail, and evocative descriptions, illustrates Edith Wharton's own love of gardens.
Edith Wharton became known for novels such as The Age of Innocence which dwell on New York society. In her early stories, Wharton was more inclined to look at the lives of working class people. Mrs. Manstey was the widow of a clerk, a lonely (if not alone) older woman, whose view also sought to encompass the lives of the servants and cooks in the houses across the lane.
"Perhaps at heart Mrs. Manstey was an artist" — surely, Edith Wharton is projecting herself into that suggestion!
May 27, 2020
“Mrs. Manstey, in the long hours which she spent at her window, was not idle. She read a little, and knitted numberless stockings; but the view surrounded and shaped her life as the sea does a lonely island.”
I'm glad LitHub mentioned 'Mrs. Manstey's View', Edith Wharton’s first published short story, in
There are serious 2020 quarantine vibes in Edith Wharton’s first published short story.
You can read it here.
Wharton is a fantastic writer.
November 15, 2023
Delicate like the dawn glowing on the distant spire, firm as a glorious magnolia flower.Her words, my profound sympathy.
February 27, 2021
is about one woman in New York at the end of the 19th century. A quiet, solitary woman who rarely leaves her apartment and seldom hosts visitors. She tends to resent the visits because her view out her window is what she cares about. The magnolia in her neighbor's yard; the disordered yards; grass growing in the cracks of walkways: these were the things that provided her joy. Wharton's prose is always perfect. She uses impeccable descriptions, with no unnecessary words. I could see everything that she saw.
The story is charming and reminded me a bit of my own grandma. She used to sit in her dining room in her small house in Iowa and watch the view. She must have known the name of every tree and bird. Her view was never dull to her. As a child I always wondered how it could interest her so much. But she found joy in it, similar to Mrs. Manstey.
The story is charming and reminded me a bit of my own grandma. She used to sit in her dining room in her small house in Iowa and watch the view. She must have known the name of every tree and bird. Her view was never dull to her. As a child I always wondered how it could interest her so much. But she found joy in it, similar to Mrs. Manstey.
January 27, 2026
A room…without a view?
Read
September 9, 2013Loved the story .....
People usually don't understand the introvert who is merely involved in his own inner world and processing the finer and subtler nuances of the world around him. A sweet and simple story ....
People usually don't understand the introvert who is merely involved in his own inner world and processing the finer and subtler nuances of the world around him. A sweet and simple story ....
Read
December 22, 2024~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--- :}|{:-:}|{:- * FOLLOW 4 FOLLOW * -:}|{:-:}|{: ---{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--------:}|{:-:}|{:- * LINKS * -:}|{:-:}|{:----------{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
***********************************************
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -} neuralsurfer {- *
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{:- ^ AUDIOBOOK ^ -:}|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{:- * SUMMARY * -:}|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{:- * RATING * -:}|{:- * /10 * -:}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{: =EXPERIENCES=&=DISCERNMENTS= :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VWrl... {- *
* -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- *
* -} Gestalt Psychology Simplified with Examples and Principles {- *
* -:}|{}|{: = MY SYNTHESISED ( ^ GESTALT ^ ) OF THE * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * ( WAY THE AUTHOR FRAMES = HIS WRITING PERSPECTIVES ) & ( POINTERS & IMPLICATIONS = the conclusion that can be drawn IMPLICITYLY from something although it is not EXPLICITLY stated ) = :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” Nisargadatta Maharaj
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--- :}|{:-:}|{:- * FOLLOW 4 FOLLOW * -:}|{:-:}|{: ---{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--------:}|{:-:}|{:- * LINKS * -:}|{:-:}|{:----------{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
***********************************************
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -} neuralsurfer {- *
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{:- ^ AUDIOBOOK ^ -:}|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{:- * SUMMARY * -:}|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{:- * RATING * -:}|{:- * /10 * -:}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{: =EXPERIENCES=&=DISCERNMENTS= :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VWrl... {- *
* -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- *
* -} Gestalt Psychology Simplified with Examples and Principles {- *
* -:}|{}|{: = MY SYNTHESISED ( ^ GESTALT ^ ) OF THE * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * ( WAY THE AUTHOR FRAMES = HIS WRITING PERSPECTIVES ) & ( POINTERS & IMPLICATIONS = the conclusion that can be drawn IMPLICITYLY from something although it is not EXPLICITLY stated ) = :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. And between the two my life flows.” Nisargadatta Maharaj
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
October 11, 2022
Given Wharton’s gifted writing of other stories (novels) this is a fairly simple story, though well written. Thematically like others addressing a woman mostly socially isolated.
What arrested my attention early in the story, the second sentence, was the reference to “Quintus Curtius” in the sentence “the gaps in the sidewalk would have staggered a Quintus Curtius.” I looked him up and saw it was a reference to a Roman not familiar to most of us.
Then I came across an essay by Michael Hendry, “Two Greek Syllables in Wharton’s ‘The Pelican’” in which he asserts that Wharton’s “knowledge of the classics wasn’t impeccable” and notes the Library of America edition has a footnote explaining about a 10 volume set on Alexander The Great that (well) begins at book 3, has gaps between 5 and 6, and in book 20.
To which Hendry writes, “this is all true. But entirely irrelevant.” That all the Roman writers are lacunose and why not mention Livy or Tacitus. He thinks she meant Marcus Curtius who plunged in armor and on horseback into the chasm that had opened up in the Forum in 362 BC for which the soothsayers said the gods demanded a sacrifice.
What arrested my attention early in the story, the second sentence, was the reference to “Quintus Curtius” in the sentence “the gaps in the sidewalk would have staggered a Quintus Curtius.” I looked him up and saw it was a reference to a Roman not familiar to most of us.
Then I came across an essay by Michael Hendry, “Two Greek Syllables in Wharton’s ‘The Pelican’” in which he asserts that Wharton’s “knowledge of the classics wasn’t impeccable” and notes the Library of America edition has a footnote explaining about a 10 volume set on Alexander The Great that (well) begins at book 3, has gaps between 5 and 6, and in book 20.
To which Hendry writes, “this is all true. But entirely irrelevant.” That all the Roman writers are lacunose and why not mention Livy or Tacitus. He thinks she meant Marcus Curtius who plunged in armor and on horseback into the chasm that had opened up in the Forum in 362 BC for which the soothsayers said the gods demanded a sacrifice.
April 7, 2024
i was going to say that nothing Edith Wharton wrote is not fabulous, but then there's that book, her most famous book, which i just couldn't finish, and i stay quiet. but apart from that, everything else, even stories that weren't great, were fabulous.
like this story. so lovely, so beautiful, so sad, so Edith Wharton. this woman was so herself, her words so much her own, the images that she weaves in your mind are... this woman is one of the greatest writers of all time in the English language. why can't everybody see that?
like this story. so lovely, so beautiful, so sad, so Edith Wharton. this woman was so herself, her words so much her own, the images that she weaves in your mind are... this woman is one of the greatest writers of all time in the English language. why can't everybody see that?
December 30, 2024
I’m probably being overly anal by logging this separately from “The Reckoning,” but my principle is to log everything separately unless originally published together (e.g. Dubliners). Anyhow, this was a slog to get through even at just 20 pages. Liked the final page though.
April 7, 2018
2.5 stars (ok)
July 5, 2019
3.5
A heart warming story...beautifully written.
A heart warming story...beautifully written.
January 1, 2020
Not my favorite Edith Wharton, but boy do I love her writing anyway.
May 26, 2020
Loved the story. It is about a widow who lives alone and is fine with it. She takes joy in watching the view from her window. It is a sweet, simple, and heartwarming story.
June 17, 2020
Introverts exist within their own worlds
October 31, 2020
A Room with a View and what will become if said view is threatened...
December 21, 2023
I loved this: beautiful, simple, and tragic. A woman whose only joy is the limited view outside her window
September 22, 2024
“she was dying, as she had lived, lonely if not alone.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2015
A fascinating character examination.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews