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What Members Thought
First the good: Wharton could craft a sentence like nobody's business, and she takes apart uptight, traditional, suffocating gender roles and class divisions. She also manages to make an utterly unlikable character somehow sympathetic, and I am always drawn to anti-heroes. The ending, which I won't spoil, is described in one review as the most ambiguous in American literature.
Yep. It was a real "Wait, what?!" moment.
Finally, the cover is gorgeous and I want that dress!!
OK now the bad: it's viru ...more
Yep. It was a real "Wait, what?!" moment.
Finally, the cover is gorgeous and I want that dress!!
OK now the bad: it's viru ...more
Jan 24, 2010
Daisy
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
audio-library-books
I should read this again. I didn't get as much as I should have from it by listening to it.
... but, rightly judging that one of the charms of tea is the fact of drinking it together ...
It's less mortifying to believe oneself unpopular than insignificant.
Life's too short to spend it in breaking in new people. ...more
... but, rightly judging that one of the charms of tea is the fact of drinking it together ...
It's less mortifying to believe oneself unpopular than insignificant.
Life's too short to spend it in breaking in new people. ...more
A beautifully written book about a woman who is a product of her times-raised for the upper class marriage market, and skilled in the social arts. She is unfortunately dependent for money on an aunt, due to the death of her parents. While reading this it kept reminding me of the mechanics of Shakespeare's humourous plays-things kept happening due to misunderstandings.
For all that, I couldn't convince myself to care too much about Lily Bart, (although she did slmost redeem herself towards the en ...more
For all that, I couldn't convince myself to care too much about Lily Bart, (although she did slmost redeem herself towards the en ...more
Completely fantastic and entirely entertaining. Lily Bart is such a memorable character and Wharton's descriptions of her inner life and the social workings around her are so perfectly specific, many of them feelings I've felt but never could articulate so perfectly. Thank you Katie for giving it to me!
...more
Apr 22, 2016
Ginger
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
fiction-literature
So I just heard a podcast with Modern Mrs. Darcy and Preston Yancey where he compared House of Mirth to Virgin Suicides, Marriage Plot, Gossip Girl, and Little Children, so obviously, now I HAVE to read this.
Read this about 15 years ago and reread half of it this time. Also saw the movie with Gillian Anderson, Eric Stolz, and Dan Akyroyd.
Feb 23, 2012
Dana Arbelaez
marked it as to-read
Mar 14, 2012
Te-ge Bramhall
marked it as to-read
Jun 05, 2012
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
Sep 04, 2012
Kirsten Barber
marked it as to-read
Jan 31, 2013
Kim DeCina
marked it as to-read
Apr 22, 2016
Judy
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
twentieth-century-women
May 25, 2016
Jules
marked it as to-read
Jun 06, 2017
Kara
marked it as to-read
Aug 12, 2019
Diane
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
audio,
empty-nests-bookclub
