Our book club decided to read Edith Wharton's novel The House of Mirth (#1,350) after two of us had recently visited her home in the Berkshires, The Mount. Although many had a hard time getting into the novel with its expanded vocabulary (thank goodness for Kindle imbedded dictionaries!) and unfamiliar social mores, by the end of the book Lily Bart had our sympathy, and a few were upset by the ending.
If you've never read it, Lily Bart lives in New York society, spending the social seasons moving from house to house and activity to activity. Although Lily has the breeding and the perfect looks to succeed in this hothouse atmosphere, she has never been able to settle down to marrying for money alone. Dependent on her old-fashioned aunt for a home and meager allowance, she is left on her own after her aunt disowns her over a financial flutter orchestrated by one of her "friend's" husband. Lily is left penniless and with a tattered reputation. The reader is left to watch her slide into "dinginess" beyond her control.
There's much to talk about in this classic novel, and our book club enjoyed it immensely. Now it's on to reading The Age of Innocence, the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to a female author.
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