The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads]

4 stars

Wharton's writing is always exquisite; her words are careful and perfectly placed. Reading Wharton is a lovely, quiet experience. Unfortunately though, I do not think I am her audience. I have never been a fan of romance novels and that is her sweet spot. However, the prose is so good that even I see its charm and its worthiness of a high rating.

[Chinook]

4 stars

It’s like the House of Mirth but with the character growth that allows for a happy ending. As such, I think I may have enjoyed this one more - the other might be more realistic overall, but this one was sweeter.

[Diane]

Rating: 4 Stars

Wharton never disappoints. This is a story about making the decision to marry for love or money/status. Great character development and pacing.

[Kristel]

This is a tale of young woman who knows how to hang on to the rich. She meets a man, convinces him that they can marry and live on an extended honeymoon and at the end of the year, they can end their marriage and go their own ways. This works out for awhile but then things don't quite go as planned. It is romance with the marriage disrupted by social pressure and instability. The title is also a metaphor with the moon which opens and ends the story. It is definitely not her best work but she wrote this after the end of WWI as a escape from sadness and so it is a good book to read in the midst of Covid 19 as an escape.

[Celia]

3.5 stars

Set in the 1920s, The Glimpses of the Moon details the romantic misadventures of Nick Lansing and Susy Branch, a couple with the right connections but not much in the way of funds. They devise a shrewd bargain: they'll marry and spend a year or so sponging off their wealthy friends, honeymooning in their mansions and villas.

I was not that charmed. Both main characters are dysfunctional and don't know how to communicate.

[Gail]

Although not one of my favorite Wharton's it does have the unique detail and depth in the character development that she is known for. Her usual critique of the class structures and societal constraints that imposed such terrible restrictions on her female characters is less at the top of the story here. Although ambiguous, this ending is also not true to Wharton's usual hopelessness. All in all, a rather fun read.

I did a quick reread for my 2024 TBR challenge. It was still a fun read although the peculiar moral restraints that the couple practice got a bit tiring on the second go round. It is okay to sponge off your friends but never to borrow something from them without being upfront about it. It is okay to marry for money as long as again, you are upfront about it. These were strange times but Wharton's characters are unique and largely a delight to spend time with.

[Celia]

Gail wrote: "Although not one of my favorite Wharton's it does have the unique detail and depth in the character development that she is known for. Her usual critique of the class structures and societal constr..."

TY Gail. Always happy to get your take on books!! 😘

[Valerie]

read April 2024

What a pleasure it was to listen to Wharton’s words (as read by Anna Fields – who was excellent). I am a big fan of her writing. Of course, the novel is of another time and place but people are still people and whether it is 1922 or 102 years later people still repeat the same behaviour. The extremely wealthy flit about without a care and are happy to have Susy and/or Nick (and others) partake in their largesse as long as they continue to amuse them. That amusement may take the form of good looks and sparkling wit to add to a dinner party or doing distasteful tasks. On the relationship front, Nick and Susy fall into the all too typical trap of newly married folks and don’t talk about real feelings or (in Nick’s case) bolt at the first difficulty. Surprisingly, for Wharton there is a pleasant ending. 4*

[Rosemary]

Nick and Susy are a just-married impoverished American couple who before their marriage lived mostly on the generosity of their friends. They fell in love and decided to marry on the basis that if they asked for all their wedding presents in the form of cash and stayed at friends’ houses in Europe as much as possible, they should have enough money for a year-long honeymoon. Things are blissful at first, but then there’s trouble.

This is a short book that would have been even shorter, perhaps not existed at all, if the couple had not caused and then prolonged their difficulties by not talking to each other. I usually find this an annoying trope, but I enjoyed spending time with Susy, so I didn’t mind it in this case. Susy’s main survival tactic is that her friends are willing to support her because she’s so likeable, and it worked on me!