The Age of Innocence

Wow, that ending.

It was just as frustrating as the world that Newland Archer lives in. His eldest son, Dallas, couldn't have put it any better.

"You never did ask each other anything, did you? And you never told each other anything. You just saw and watched each other, and guessed at what was going on underneath. A deaf-and-dumb asylum, in fact!"

Then, Newland Archer took his cue solely from the fact that the Countess Olenska's manservant kept the balcony awnings and closed the shutters - and left after thirty years of not seeing her. I'm just blown away.

Overall, this was a great book examining the slowly cracking facade of the New York social scene, and the interface between the generation obsessed with Society and the museum-like superficiality that its participants needed to live every aspect of their lives with, and the one that throws these things to the wind. Amazingly and intricately written, it was an engaging read that kept me going page after page, despite a lack of “action” in its traditional sense.

Qué bonito y qué triste!

Me quedo con la forma de describir escenas y sentimientos de la autora. El argumento no me ha terminado de enganchar, pero sin duda querré leer otros libros de Edith Wharton.
A pesar de no ser mi tipo de libros favorito, la descripción de los personajes tan detallada y esa habilidad par hablar de sus sentimientos ha conseguido que sufra con ellos y que, a pesar de no tenerme enganchada, haya medio lamentado que llegue el final del libro... difícil de explicar!

Newland Archer has it all—he's a gentleman lawyer, occasionally popping into the office to do little bits of work, but generally occupying himself dining and socializing with his fellow affluent friends—and now, to cap off a wonderful life, his beloved May has agreed to marry him. What more could he want? Until he meets May's bohemian cousin, Ellen, and falls under her spell....

I am enchanted with this story, set in 1870's Gilded Age New York City, when the values and morals adhered to by society were beginning to come undone. It will definitely be on my Best Reads of the Year list.