The House of Mirth

Rating:
Summary: Truly a timeless classic
Review: For a book set in the beginning of the last century, The House of Mirth is not dated in the least. The external-and internal-pressures Lily is under as she tries to marry 'well' are staggering, and time is working against her. She can never really connect with Seldon, which underlines the futility of the life she's trying so desperately to engineer for herself. As long as TV shows like "How to marry a multimillionaire' are out there, The House of Mirth will be up-to-the-minute.

Besides the plot, the book overall is brilliant. Wharton's description of the life of a banker, and of a banker's wife, is scarily accurate, even today.( I used to work on Wall Street.) I love all of Wharton's books, because they still ring all too true. This is one of my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: Better than expected!
Review: My book club chose this as our selection this month. I enjoyed the book much more than I expected. Edith Wharton's writing style is descriptive and she clearly depicts the life and times of the "upper crust" at the start of the last century. The House of Mirth shows what a "business" it was for a woman to find a husband and the expectation that her marriage would be her security during that era. Lily was a great character but I did find myself feeling sorry for her the more I got into the book. She tried so hard to be accepted by society and in the end she failed. An interesting piece of literature. I would recommend it without reservation.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Yet fathomable
Review: Once I began reading I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with Lily Bart from the beginging. As she continued on her quest for a husband to bore her for life, I could actually feel her undecisiveness on whether or not to go through with it. It let you see the many faces of people, whom stereotypically you'd never imagine behaving in such a manner. It will leave you feeling overwhelmed with grief yet relieved for her at the same time. Definetely an extraordinary read.

Rating:
Summary: I can't stand Lily Bart.
Review: I realize that we're supposed to sympathize with Lily Bart, the protagonist...but I just find it impossible to really feel sorry for her situation. Other reviewers have claimed that "Lily had no choice" but to end her life. Well, I think that's completely incorrect. She has numerous possibilities to marry Selden--a kind, decent man (in contrast to repulsive ones like Rosedale) who adores her, but she cannot give up the riches of the upper crust in order to do so. Essentially--and this Lily admits to us at points during the book--she's in it for the cash, even if she does finally understand the opportunities she's wasted throughout (strange, for a woman who talks nonstop about "opportunities...") And I think that, even if it's a correct reflection of the time in which she lived, Lily's motives ultimately destroys my sympathy for her as a character. I mean, a woman who complains because she can't have fresh flowers on the luncheon table every day? Come ON, Lily...

Rating:
Summary: brilliant
Review: I first heard of this book when I read about it becoming a movie. The synopsis I was given piqued my interest, so I decided to check it out. What an amazing story. I was drawn to the character of Lily Bart and her world and her struggles. The details Wharton uses put you right into turn of the century New York. A beautifully written novel, I would encourage anyone and everyone to read The House of Mirth.

Rating:
Summary: an excellent read
Review: This is the first Wharton book I've read, and I'm very impressed. I'm usually not a fan of reading classic books on my free time, but this book is completely relevant of our time and society... I couldn't put it down. I truly felt for Lily Bart. Wharton's writing is complex and heartbreaking, presenting external relationships while simultaneously giving the reader a glimpse at what is really going on underneath. READ IT.

Rating:
Summary: interesting, ultimately moving
Review: This is the third novel by Wharton I've read (the other two, of course, are Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence). Unlike the others, The House of Mirth is an accessible read with characters one can relate to. Wharton's attention to detail is impressive (yet slightly boring), and the subtlety of how the story moves from fluff to tight human drama is superb.

Finally, despite being written a century ago the main theme of The House of Mirth is very much applicable to today's materialistic yuppie society. Great stuff!

Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching and Beautiful
Review: This is the best written book I have ever read, and I used to think John Cheever, Fitzgerald,and Steinbeck was as good as it got for American fiction. The use of language here is as mellifluous as it is spare. While I was not happy with Lily Bart's choices, I certainly understood them. She really didn't have any choice, did she? If only she could have just chosen that first suitor...but's that's not the point,is it? Could society have been this cruel? It still is.

Rating:
Summary: I read it on my own -- and got through the whole thing!
Review: If you like old, fairly antiquated tales of turn-of-the-century aristocracy, then this book will please you. It is in fact extrememly well written, and causes us to feel for the main character. While I for one had a certain sense from the begiining that Lizzy Bart was doomed, that didn't stop me from feeling pained as I watched her try to save herself again and again. I recommend it! Not quite as tedious as "The Age of Innocence."

Rating:
Summary: one of the best authors
Review: maybe i have not read enough authors, but for me, nobody elsecaptures the human heart and soul as well as Edith Wharton, in this bookand in the age of innocence. she is able to evoke in the reader all the emotions of her characters. you feel you understand what their motivations are and are unable to condemn them for their 'faults'. And you see how much of it is that people are victims of circumstance.