Review Summaries

• Readers often praise its classical craftsmanship, especially the restrained prose and the tension of social ritual. Some appreciate the deliberate pace as part of its gravity, while others find that same caution deepens the novel’s afterglow.

• Readers respond to the fine-grained psychology and the cool voice that avoids stating emotions too directly. The contrast between glittering social scenes and the pressure underneath them is read especially well.

Reviews

• 説明通りでした

  同じ本を３冊注文しました。１冊がやや遅れましたので問い合わせたところきちんと対応して下さいました。

• The arts of literature

  First of all, I am not English native speaker. I don't know therefore or not, but, to be honest, this book require quite a effort. Edith Wharton , author's particular structure of sentences, figurative and unique expressions. Although it was hard for me to complete this reading, I could enjoy enough this worthwhile art. This book contains 27p of introduction and 31p of explanatory notes. They are very helpful. Considering the author's background as a garden and interior designer , there are a lot of terminology- like vocabularies in the story ( architecture, plants,cloths etc...) . From this view , I strongly recommend the combination of the book and the film . In terms of the plot, this is a story of love and life, not only of one protagonist and heroin, but also their families. There are many love stories which set in upper middle class society in 19th century in English literature. Although I am afraid to state that the plot itself is not especially outstanding among them, if the readers focus on Edith Wharton's very original literary - camera work, it may enough satisfy us. In large hall, its ornaments ,people's dress , what is the out side of the window like? ( in details) , then it is absorbed into one person's inside. I mean, emotion. When I was able to feel these scenes, I could find it very gripping!

• This is without a doubt dear Mrs. Wharton's masterpiece, a captivating tale about a man whose sense of duty and fear of challenging the status quo keeps him in a state of perpetual staleness and regret. While very little transpires through the course of the novel, it is for a good reason. Archer, the protagonist, is a stuffy New York lawyer, who is entranced by his mysterious wife's cousin Olenska, a married countess who has spent a great deal of her life in Europe. The story is about their relationship or what it could have been, had he been more willing to challenge the status quo and follow his real desires. He lives in a world surrounded by the moralistic and the prudish, a world which by the end of the novel vanishes into a distant memory, and all he is left with is his regret. In the sense, the story could be viewed as a tragedy, but not the same kind of tragedy as Ethan Frome, who had so much less in life to look forward to! Archer's world is essentially limitless and is only held back by his own failure to think outside the Victorian box. While little goes on in Archer's life, we are left to wonder about his true love Madame Olenska. Wharton leaves it to the reader to decide what they think about Olenska. She is not unattainable as Daisy Buchanan is in The Great Gatsby; she shares feelings for him and is eager to separate from her husband. Still, her relationship with Archer never comes to fruition, even after Archer's wife passes away. Her world is too rich and Archer, in his narrowness, can never wrap his head around it. There are also a host of interesting characters that surround them, from the first Mrs. Manson Mingott to the conniving Beaufort, and , however limited their roles, they lend a great deal of insight to the "age of innocence," which serves as the setting. It is an age of hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness, which is quickly superseded by the generation of Archer's son Dallas, who dispels all the mystique behind Archer's lack of action. Dallas represents the dream which Archer could not attain. By the end of the novel, it is too late for him and his only hope is for his son to live this dream for him. The novel is full of rich detail and is well worth reading, even though the plot is at times rather slow. Without doubt, it belongs in any list of the greatest novels of the 20th century!

• The reading of Edith Wharton's 'The Age of Innocence' was long overdue for me. I admit I found the beginning a little tedious with the never-ending list of characters, the detailed description of New York City's elite society at the end of the century with all its traditions, rituals and judgemental morality. The story follows Newland Archer's, the POV character, struggle to live up to the expectations set up by his bourgeois family and marry the sweet, conventional, May Welland, while secretly longing to run off with Countess Ellen Olenska, a married woman who defies the status quo. Family and social expectations conflict with Newland's and Ellen's wish for a more passionate life away from the rigidity of high society. Newland must choose, his wife or his lover. His choice will determine the path his life will take. We meet up with him years later, widowed and father of three children. The memories of his emotional struggles are still with him. Is there regret, or the urge to start over where he left off? The ending is both thought-provoking and poignant. This wonderful story, written over 100 years ago, is still prevalent today. Life's demands have a tendency to erode the passions and struggles, which in our youth we were ready to die for. All that is left is the memory of a beating heart.

• A wonderful book! I had the italian version but decided to go for the original. A bit small and not too comfortable to read bu...it is an economic edition. The "small" price and size allows it to be affordable. A classic, specially for the movie lovers!

• Products from the seller “Transinfoprenuer” are always in great quality with sealing.

• Fina descrição social e psicológica de uma era Um prazer . Recomendo a quem goste de literatura de qualidade e não só de bestseller

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