Rating: 
Summary: Blue Unicorn Editions
Review: Blue Unicorn Editions publishes the most complete, unabridged, uncensored texts of the world's greatest literary works, in English and/or their original languages.
Rating: 
Summary: you learn something special in reading this novel.
Review: Few books are able to capture the depressing truth in societies marked by "women in white and fellows with tennis balls". (that quote's from the musical Ragtime). It is a soul-wrenching, and enlightening book; and one will look upon society in a different way after reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Wharton is wonderfull!
Review: Since everyone else's reviews cover every I wanted to say(breathtakingly written, subtle, emotionally wrenching), the only thing I can do is let Wharton's work speak for its self. Just one more thing, if you like Age of Innocence or are thinking of reading it, you MUST read The House of Mirth as well. Or else I'll come find you, and it won't be pretty. :)
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Perfect
Review: I first read this book a couple of weeks before the motion picture was released. It turned out to be the most beautiful piece of literture I had read in my life. A couple of years later I had to good fortune to read the book again as an assignment for a college class. Once again I was amazed at the pure perfection of Wharton's masterpiece. There are no words to properly describe the magic contained within the pages of this book. Just read it for yourself and treasure the experience for the rest of you life.
Rating:
Summary: For the true romantic and the deep thinker.
Review: '...he rambled on, pouring out all the stock phrases that rose to his lips in his intense desire to cover over the ugly reality which her silence seemed to have laid bare.'This book is not for those who like fast-paced, phantasmagorical novels built on suspense. The story is woven slowly, "delicately" as one reader said, and there is considerable dwelling on details-- one almost feels stifled, at many times forced to take a breath and ponder. However, the experience is worth it, for it is an apt reflection of the stultifying Old New York, a society of tradition and hypocrisy that denies humanity but desperately defends 'civilization'; a society in which no one says what everyone feels. Edith Wharton's prized novel imbues its readers with a historical perspective by transporting us to a world very different from our expressive, iconoclastic, free-thinking and free-saying society of today. Besides being made to think about the nature of society, there is also something about Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska that reached me at a very personal and private level; within the relationship between these two individuals we find profound questions about love, obligation, ideals, pragmatism, distance, nearness, changing yourself for someone else and being changed by someone else. Edith Wharton forces us to read between the lines; we vicariously experience the characters' congealed emotions, their fettered passions, and the torment that comes with their remaining loyal to others yet honest to themselves. Allow this novel to sink into you-- the title itself, 'The Age of Innocence', calls for rumination. I was made to think about the difference between the innocence in possessing ignorance and the innocence in possessing morality; I was made think about the bitterness in separation and the sweetness in inspiration. Perhaps most powerful of all, this novel carries a lesson summarised by the words from Countess Olenska to Newland: "I can't love you unless I give you up." The story is stir! ring because they do not live happily ever after; they taught each other to look not at visions but at realities-- she remains close to him as long as she remains at a distance. There is beauty in tragedy in 'The Age of Innocence'. 'He simply felt that if he could carry away the vision of the spot of the earth she walked on, and the way the sky and sea enclosed it, the rest of the world would feel less empty.'
Rating:
Summary: The Age of Innocence is a classical romantic book.
Review: This book is an extraordinary example of how the author describes very well the difficulties of human relationship. The book relates the history of rich people and their costumes at the end of 1880 century. The Archer family is a very influent family and one of its members Newland Archer is going to get married with May. He knows that he loves another woman but that lady is married to another man. In that time the society was very tide with their moral standards and Archer was so afraid to challenge it. The most wonderful of this book is the way of how the author lead us through the emotions of these people lives
Rating:
Summary: A Novel for the Ages.
Review: The majestic Age of Innocence is a beautifully written masterpiece about the idiosyncracies of wealth, power, and privilege in Old New York. Winsome, elegant, masterful poetry and capacious description. The marvelous dialogue and Victorian innocence and charm won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for her astounding achievement. In fact, the novel defined her very career. Truly, a novel for the ages; a novel for the avid reader; and a novel for most astute of beginners. It should be cherished and viewed as one of the quintessential pieces of American Literature, and, perhaps, all literature in general
Rating: 
Summary: Great literature; really deserves to be more widely read!
Review: "The Age of Innocence" is a wonderful read on many levels for all kinds of readers. It shouldn't just appeal to "literature" buffs but also to romance readers, those interested in history or psychology, and anyone looking for an interesting and involving story. Wharton weaves an intriguing tale of New York society in the late 19th century, where old ways have not yet made way for "modern" views, but it's evident that it is only a matter of time. For example, what would have been considered socially unacceptable in Newland and May Archer's time, such as marrying your mistress after your wife dies, is perfectly alright by the time May and Newland's son, Dallas, is ready to marry. Dallas is to marry the daughter of the previously mentioned union, demonstrating that by the early 20th century, the old social conventions of Old New York have gone by the wayside. Unfortunately this didn't happen in time for Newland and the Countess, and in fact, it appears that he wishes that everything could remain the same as it was in his youth, which is seen by his reaction to Countess Olenska at the end of the novel. What makes the book truly great, though, is Wharton's detail of EVERYthing, from how a dinner was served, to an evening at the opera, and more. It's almost impossible not to enter the mind of the characters; they are so completely and complexly developed that this book should be required reading for every writer! I really give this book 4 1/2 stars; the only reason it isn't 5 stars is because the ending was a little disappointing to me, although it was quite in keeping with the characters and the story. We tend to satisfy our curiosity as soon as possible, but a hundred years ago one had to look at other issues as more important than personal satisfaction.
Rating:
Summary: Totem and taboo in old New York.
Review: The reading public must have been taken by shock when, in 1920, Wharton published this novel. Written off by most of the critics and audience of her time as having her best literary years far behind her, she produced what is arguably her most important work. Her story of New York City in the 1870s, where family name and propriety counted as much as accumulated wealth, resonated with readers who were just beginning to catch hints of the looming social revolution that would come later in the decade - and once again shatter time tested institutions. Wharton's looking back to the time of her youth (she was 57 when the book was published) is neither too sentimental nor too critical, but simply a fond remembrance of the time and place in which she lived and, like Madame Olenska, eventually escaped. However, it is not with Madame Olenska but with Newland Archer that Wharton is closest associated. Belonging to similar social castes, both the author and Newland are able to see the foibles in their social milieu but in no way are ready to discard it totally. Whereas, in the end, both are ready to follow their individual paths from Old New York they are fully aware of what is expected of them as members of this society, and act accordingly. This is the central theme of the novel: individual desire vs. collective propriety. In the hands of a lesser author, this conflict could have resulted in a quite heavy and didactic work - and as interesting as an evening at a needlepoint demonstration. By clothing her novel in the time tested mantle of a love story, she is given rein to employ her talents to the fullest. In short, she re-creates the New York City of the 1870s and peoples it with characters that seem to be historical, not just based on historical models. The characters of Madame Olenska, Newland, May Welland and, especially, Mrs. Manson Mingott are wonderfully drawn and never become stereotyped nor trivialized; in fact, they are so lifelike that the reader (as if knowing them for years) is able to anticipate their thought patterns and actions. And of course, there is the city itself - before the Holland Tunnel, Grand Central Station, subways and telephone, where 39th Street was considered the hinterland. Wharton treats the city with affection as well as with the critical eye of the archaeologist attempting to reconstruct some long past civilization. Especially fine is the final chapter in which Wharton (in less than twenty pages) summarizes the life of Newland from the time of his parting with Madame Olenska to his life in early twentieth century New York. The economy of her prose in this final chapter combined with her justaposition of sentimental reflection and historical fact are first rate. Particularly moving is the final scene in which the reader leaves Newland sitting on a bench outside of Madame Olenska's apartment in Paris unable (and unwilling) to abrogate both his loyalty to his now deceased wife, May, nor the unrequited love that he still has for Madame Olenska.
Rating:
Summary: Less than innocent "Age"
Review: Nobody knew the hypocrises of "old New York" better than Edith Wharton, and nobody portrayed them as well. In "The Age of Innocence," Wharton took readers on a trip through the stuffy upper crust of 1870s New York, wrapped up in a hopeless love affair.
Newland Archer, of a wealthy old New York family, has become engaged to pretty, naive May. But as he tries to get their wedding date moved up, he becomes acquainted with May's exotic cousin, Countess Olenska, who has returned home after dumping her cheating count husband. At first, the two are friends, but then they become something more.
After Newland marries May, the attraction to the mysterious Countess and her free, unconventional life becomes even stronger. He starts to rebel in little ways, but he's still mired in a 100% conventional marriage, job and life. Will he become an outcast and go away with the beautiful countess, or will he stick with May and a safe, dull life?
There's nothing too scandalous about "Age of Innocence" in a time when J.Lo acquires and discards boyfriends and husbands like old pantyhose. Probably it wasn't in the 1920s, when the book was first published. But this isn't a book to read if you appreciate sexiness and steam -- instead it's a social satire, a bittersweet romance, and a look at what happens when human beings lose all spontaneity and passion.
Wharton brings old New York to life in this book -- opulent, beautiful, cultured, yet empty and kind of boring. It is "where the real thing was never said or done or even thought," so tied up in tradition that nobody there really lives. And even though the unattainable countess is beautiful and sweet, it becomes obvious after awhile that Newland is actually in love with the idea of breaking out of his conventional life.
Wharton's writing is a bit like a giant rosebud -- it takes forever to fully open. So don't be discouraged by the endless conversations about flowers, ballrooms and gloves. Wharton put them in to illustrate her point about New York at that time, and all the stories about different families, scandals and customs are actually very important.
Newland seems like a rather boring person, since he only has brief bursts of individuality. But he gets more interesting when he struggles between his conscience and his longing for freedom. May is (suitably) pallid and a bit dull, while the Countess is alluringly mysterious and unconsciously rebellious. The fact that she doesn't TRY to rebel makes her far more interesting than Newland.
"Age of Innocence" considered a story about a man in love with an unattainable woman, but it's also about that man straining against a stagnant, hypocritical society. Rich, intriguing and beautifully written.
|
