Rating: 
Summary: brillliant work - not for young readers
Review: I don't think that I would have liked this book if I were in high school, as the language is old-fashioned and the setting, Upper Class New York 1870's, not one that draws empathy. I feel for those readers who were forced to read this as part of a high school honors class. However, now that I am married, and someone who must constantly read new material as part of my profession, I was astounded by the craft and skill which Edith Wharton used in this book and how developed her voice was. The essence of the book - the internal dilemma which each individual faces- between what one wants to do as opposed to what one should do-- is timeless. Don't force yourself to read this book: it's too good. Read it when you are ready.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat Etchy but Still Very good
Review: The book itself wasn't the most interesting and modern thing to read, but it did focus a lot on the hypocrisy of society and the laws that still govern our world today. Edith Wharton does a fine job of depicting the lives and roles of the characters in rich detail.I suggest that if you want to read this novel, you better have a good (1)imagination and (2)patience. You're going to need both of them to get through this story line.
Rating: 
Summary: Why?
Review: I am rading this book as a project for 10th grade lit comp gifted honors. To me, this is a difficult book to read. I chose it because the storyline seemed interesting, but the book is too bogged down with extra details that add nothing to the story. I find myself having to drudge through it just so I can write a paper on it. I would have put this book down and forgotten about it had i not had to finish it for my class. I cannot understand why anyone with a love for love would enjoy this book, which talkes out the romance and puts in the scientific poine of veiw. Why?
Rating: 
Summary: not her best, but a worthy read
Review: Edith Wharton is one of a handful of authors blessed with an extremely rich writing style. Her command of the English language is extraordinary. However she does not put this talent to its best advantage with this novel. More economical wording and, sorry to say, a better story would have been appreciated. Having said this, I found her attention to detail on New York and its (forgotten) upper class society to be very absorbing. The film version of The Age of Innocence didn't (and probably couldn't) reflect this detail and, in comparison to the novel, seemed two-dimensional. Finally, I would recommend The House of Mirth over this novel. While it doesn't discuss NY society in such detail, the overall story is much more moving and ... *personal* to the reader.
Rating:
Summary: INTERESTING, BUT REALLY HARD TO STAY FOCUSED.
Review: I had to read this book for an Advanced Placement English class. I would spend hours at a time reading, but make little progress. Everything was too descriptive and it took too long to get into the novel. The overall story line was a good one, but I didn't like the way it was developed. I also found it very difficult to find critiques on this book, as I needed them for the paper I did on "The Age Of Innocence" and Edith Wharton. I would not suggest this book to anyone, although I did learn a lot by doing my paper on it.
Rating:
Summary: Agonizing and Frustrating
Review: The words are not as good as House of Mirth but still haunting. I was so frustrated with Newland, all talk and no action. He and May, contrary to his thoughts, were a perfect match.
Rating:
Summary: Edith Wharton is a master of prose
Review: Every sentence is finely crafted; every word carefully chosen. If I lived to be a thousand I could never capture Wharton's knack for turning a phrase. As for the book, it is captivating, intruiging, and in the end vastly satisfying. I think the book could have stood on its own without the last chapter, but it offers a resolution for people like me who want a 'happy' ending. I don't know what this world would be like without Dover Thrift Editions. I probably never would have read this book if I hadn't gotten it for $2.
Rating:
Summary: Stick with it and get rewarded
Review: I chose this book out of a list of 'classics' that we were required to read for the second last year of school. I was attracted by the blurb (as I enjoy love stories) and decided to choose it. As you have probably read from previous reviews, the story is that of simple disallowed love, in the most stringent and narrow society, New York in the C19th. I found the novel hard to get through initially, wanting some action instead of drab descriptions of society.. ..but because I was forced to read the book, I continued, and I'm happy I did. Newland's characterisation is truely amazing, as well as the complexity of the Countess. The book raises some very important issues with society *today*, as it shows that change will always occur, no matter how we try to fight or stop it. The end is deeply moving, and leaves you with a feeling of emptiness, much like Newlands entire life. Overall a good read for almost anyone who enjoys emotional stirring. :)
Rating:
Summary: Read this novel and understand more about the human heart!
Review: In our modern age of "do it if it feels good" this novel is a worthwhile read. The love affair between Archer Newland and the sensual Ellen Olenska is all the more passionate and romantic for its restraint proscribed by the rigid social conventions of late nineteenth century upper-crust New York society. Newland eventually does "the right thing" in spite of his insight into the hypocrocies of the social class to which he belongs. He gives Ellen up, acts the gentleman, and carries her memory with him to warm his conventional passionless lifestyle. Beautifully written with one negative caveat. If any of these people had to worry about actual food and shelter, they would not have had time to obsess about unrequited love.
Rating: 
Summary: A stinker
Review: What you will need: cardboard and scissors (to cut out the characters), two toothpicks (to prop your eyelids open), two mud patties (foundation for the plot), saline eye solution (apply liberally at story's end to compensate for absence of genuine emotion), and a fat bank account (the only way you'll empathize with any of the characters). This book is a great example of a work that lets you feel nostalgic about a past that never existed. As social commentary, it never gets beyond a member of the upper class dumping on other members of the upper class. As fiction, its absence of: plot, action, contrast, humanity, the split between reality/unreality make it a total zero. Bah. Humbug. When you want tripe, get it at the butcher's. It's cheaper and digests more easily. When you want a story, avoid Edith Wharton and her pseudo-literary gibberish like you'd avoid sandpaper in a toilet stall.
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