From the Bookshelf of Reading List Completists…

The Age of Innocence

Edith Wharton

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: July 2020 Completist Selection
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What Members Thought

Jul 07, 2020 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hoopla, classic, historical-fiction, 2020, completist-book-club, audio

The first thing that I must admit is that I liked this book much more than I expected to like it. I think I judged this book by its many sort of boring covers and the fact that it sounded like a dry classic in some descriptions I read. I know, “BAD MATTHEW!” As a voracious reader I should not make assumptions and I should go in with an open mind. But, at least with my pre-conceived notions being disproved, I was pleasantly surprised.

While this book has many characters, the story is not complex. The first thing that I must admit is that I liked this book much more than I expected to like it. I think I judged this book by its many sort of boring covers and the fact that it sounded like a dry classic in some descriptions I read. I know, “BAD MATTHEW!” As a voracious reader I should not make assumptions and I should go in with an open mind. But, at least with my pre-conceived notions being disproved, I was pleasantly surprised.

While this book has many characters, the story is not complex. This is good because I could focus on keeping the characters straight instead of the story straight! It is basically a story of how late 1800s high society in New York handles behavior they feel unbecoming of their station. It is especially “shocking” when one of their own becomes involved and forgets his place. Scandalous indeed!

I enjoyed the characters and felt strongly – both positively a negatively – about many of them. I did a lot of head shaking. I did a lot of feeling sorry. I did a lot of not being able to believe how people viewed and treated each other. What we see as rather commonplace today in relationships was not to be tolerated back then. I suppose that is reflected in the title of the book – it was an age of innocence – even the smallest sins were too taboo for daily life and not to be accepted or discussed in public forum. I am interested to discuss this further with the book club I read this for and in comment discussion on this review. I am still trying to figure out what the commentary the author was trying to make. I almost feel like the author’s point could be interpreted as “This is how it was – no subtext implied – you decide how you feel about these people and the way they treated each other.”

I have no problem recommending this if you are looking for a classic to read. If you are a fan of historical fiction and/or scandalous gossip stories I don’t think you can go wrong here. After this, I look forward to trying even more Edith Wharton.
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Dec 28, 2020 Michael Finocchiaro rated it really liked it

Shelves: pulitzer-fiction, novels, pulitzer-winning-fiction, fiction, american-20th-c, made-into-movie

Edith Wharton won the 3rd Pulitzer prize (and is thus the first woman winner) for this wonderful story of life in post-Civil War New York City, during the Golden Age. We are in the middle of a love triangle in which Newland is trying to decide between boring propriety with his fiancé/bride May or torrid adventure with the Comtess Olinsky. Sometimes the melodrama was distracting from the more interesting descriptions of this old pre-industrial New York which I really appreciated.

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Jun 25, 2019 Christine PNW added it

Shelves: books-do-furnish-a-mind

7. The Age of Innocence

“She said she knew we were safe with you, and always would be, because once, when she asked you to, you'd given up the thing you most wanted."

Archer received this strange communication in silence. His eyes remained unseeingly fixed on the thronged sunlit square below the window. At length he said in a low voice: "She never asked me.”