The Recovery

by Edith Wharton

The Recovery is a novel written by Edith Wharton. The story is set in the early 20th century and follows the life of a young woman named Lydia Orr, who is recovering from a nervous breakdown. Lydia is a wealthy socialite who has always lived a privileged life, but her breakdown has left her feeling lost and disconnected from the world around her.As Lydia tries to regain her strength and find her place in society, she meets a number of interesting characters, including a doctor who helps her through her recovery, a wealthy businessman who is interested in her, and a group of artists who introduce her to a new way of life.Throughout the novel, Wharton explores themes of mental health, social status, and the role of women in society. She also delves into the complexities of human relationships and the challenges that come with trying to find one's place in the world.Overall, The Recovery is a thought-provoking and engaging novel that offers a unique perspective on life in the early 20th century. Wharton's writing is insightful and beautifully crafted, making this book a must-read for fans of classic literature.They moved about from room to room without exchanging a word. The vast noiseless space seemed full of sound, like the roar of a distant multitude heard only by the inner ear. Had their speech been articulate their language would have been incomprehensible; and even that far-off murmur of meaning pressed intolerably on Claudia's throbbing nerves. Keniston took the onset without outward sign of disturbance.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Short Stories

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Edith 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.

Reviews

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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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 ~

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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

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" 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

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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

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[A lireza · Rating 3 out of 5]

گویا این یکی از داستان‌های کمتر خونده شده ایدیث وارتونه به طوریکه علاوه بر نقد وجود نداشتن ازش حتی خلاصه گودریدز هم ازش غلط غلوطه. ولی من کار خودم رو میکنم

داستان درباره زنی هست که با مرد رویایی‌ش که نقاشی نسبتا معروفه ازدواج کرده. اونا به نمایشگاهی در پاریس دعوت میشن، تا مرد آثارش رو به نمایش بذاره و درباره‌شون صحبت کنه. و مهم‌ترین بخش داستان در پاریس اتفاق میفته. بنظرم ۲ محرک بزرگ در داستان گذاشته شده: یکی اینکه وضعیت مالی هنرمند چندان رو به راه نیست به‌طوریکه هزینه سفر به پاریس رو یکی از طرفداران هنرمند بهش قرض میده. اما در پاریس علی‌رغم علاقه اولیه نقاش، ما نشانه‌هایی میبینیم که درحال فرار از در معرض دیده شدنه به طوریکه حتی در روز نمایش نقاشی‌هاش حاضر نمیشه و میره گردش و این فرار (حتی از کسی که دعوتش کرده و هزینه‌هاش رو داده) تنش خوبی درست کرده (و بدون اینکه ما دید هنرمند رو داشته باشیم چیزای زیادی از این متوجه میشیم.) و دومین محرک داستان که بنظرم شگفت‌انگیز اجرا میشه، با یک اتفاق بسیار ساده شروع میشه: رفتن همسر هنرمند به بازار و خرید در پاریس!
وارتون به زیبایی این اتفاق ساده رو به یک بازتاب فکری کلی تبدیل میکنه و اون رو به زندگی زن و رابطه‌ش با وضعیت شوهرش مرتبط میکنه. تاجایی که با قرار گرفتن در مقابل نقاشی همسرش بالاخره به این نتیجه میرسه که تابلوهای شوهرش زشتن!
نهایتا زن تصمیم میگیره این دید جدیدش رو به شوهرش بگه ولی قبل از این، شوهر (بدون اینکه تاییدش کنه) بنظر میاد خودش هم به همین نتیجه رسیده. ولی برخلاف چیزی که زن حدس میزنه، آقای نقاش میخواد از نو شروع کنه

خب، راستش من این پایان‌بندی رو نپسندیدم و با اینکه تخمش کاشته شده بود، حس میکنم بیش از حد نرم تموم شد و می‌شد تنش رو بیشتر حفظ کرد. اما بیشتر ترجیح میدم اینجا درمورد رویکرد خانم نویسنده در این داستان خاص و به طور کلی حرف بزنم
برای زنی که در اوایل قرن ۲۰ شروع به گل کردن کرده، فمینیسم نهادینه در کارهای ایدیث وارتون برای من قابل تحسینه. به طوریکه حتی جایی که سوژه واقعی حول شخصیت مرد هست (نقاش بودنش و جایگاه هنریش)، باز هم شخصیت زن رو در حاشیه قرار نمیده. وارتون تمرکز داستان رو به‌جای اینکه بذاره روی مردی که کم کم قراره به این نتیجه برسه که از قله هنری خودش فاصله گرفته (که شاید بارها چنین داستان‌هایی گفته شده)، این تمرکز رو میذاره رو همسرش که این موضوع براش اهمیت حیاتی داره. این کار یه هنرمنده.
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