The House of Mirth in Around the World in 80 Books

Jan 30, 2010 SarahC rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-20th-c, wharton

I often like stories where the characters are patchwork colors rather than black and white. Lily Bart is like that for me. The exquisitely beautiful Lily is in a defined situation-- raised to be a leading competitor in the marriage market, setting her sights on the upper crust of early 20th century New York society. Her parents have both died after a decline in the family fortune and she is living under the charge of a less-than-caring aunt. From that starting point, we watch Lily, a strong, sma I often like stories where the characters are patchwork colors rather than black and white. Lily Bart is like that for me. The exquisitely beautiful Lily is in a defined situation-- raised to be a leading competitor in the marriage market, setting her sights on the upper crust of early 20th century New York society. Her parents have both died after a decline in the family fortune and she is living under the charge of a less-than-caring aunt. From that starting point, we watch Lily, a strong, smart and capable girl but one blinded by the direction in which she was aimed by a social-climbing mother.

She has reached her 30s only to learn the tiring competition among this society set and to continually see how tentative life among them is with their underhanded rules and constantly shifting loyalties. She sees the only refuge from her role of eternal society girl -- marrying wealth and keeping the wealthy happy. Making no immediate impact on her path are two friends from her set, well-connected but actually living middle class lives, a young attorney and a single woman devoted to social causes. Have they opted for the middle class life or did they have no choice? Lily is not even interested in asking that question -- she can only imagine that someone in her place should always be climbing the ladder. She looks for no other choices. Lily continues to involve herself in plans and liaisons with wealthy friends, trusting them while knowing they are untrustworthy.

In only a few scenes I saw glimpses life's most tangible and lasting elements within Lily. Her most honest moments and her most loyal acts are saved for her two closest friends, one of whom is possibly her real love and her true destiny. She ultimately has the ability to face the truth in her life and her choices and makes an honest admission to the man for whom she could never even muster small respect but was willing to marry for money.

Is Lily really the society girl weighing out the best marriage prospects, or is she many people in many parts of society chasing the dream of wealth and success and not settling for anything less that the top of ladder? Edith Wharton may have seen need even this early in the last century to pose this character so that we might look at our motivations or wonder how keen our vision is as we plan our future. ...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: classic-fiction, american-literature

I loved the character of Lily Bart, even though she certainly got frustrating sometimes. She knew she wanted a life of luxury to truly be happy yet she didn't want to just marry a man for money. She had the opportunity a few times but could never quite go through with it. She hung on the fringes of high society and sometimes took the brunt for her friends. Yet even though she had the haughty attitude, she always stayed classy. She never wronged people the way they had wronged her and in the end ...more

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