The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence is a classic novel by Edith Wharton.  Set in the late 1800s, in New York, the characters are all of the higher society.  Those from money, whether inherited or earned, who mainly socialize.  It is a romantic novel, but the love shared between the two main characters is thwarted at every turn.

Newland Archer is ready to settle down and has found the perfect specimen to be his wife.  She is athletic, not to smart (so he can feel that he is teaching her and giving her culture), pretty, comes from a respectable family and trainable.  And he likes her.  In 1870s American society, I guess that was enough.  She is also willing to enter into the marriage, because he is handsome, wealthy, and from a good family.  The arrangement will look good and further both of their families socially.  (Can you imagine living like this?)  But when her cousin come back into town after being away for a long time, Newland realizes that maybe there should be more.  Maybe he could marry for love.  Unfortunately, events lead him right up to his impending nuptials.  After getting married, but never forgetting about his true love, Newland has settled down to his life but is not happy.  Seeing his love on the sly, discussing whether or not they have a future, finally it seems that he is willing to make the incredible social blunder of asking for a divorce, when his wife announces her pregnancy.  Certainly now he cannot leave her.  (I believe that all along his wife knew of his dealings with her cousin and planned her announcement precisely.)  The lovers (although technically they have only ever kissed) are thwarted again and life goes on.  Newland makes the best of his years with his wife and raises his children.  Years later, Newland's wife has died, his children are all grown.  His son comes across Newland's old love during his travels.  It looks like finally, at the very end of this story they will be able to be together.  Both of them in their 50s, it isn't too late to share their love.  But alas, Newland walks away, never to face his old love.

This novel is critically said to be one of satire regarding New York society and class during the 1870s.  Written 50 years later, the author has the advantage of knowing what is about to befall these characters, both financially and from a technology standpoint.  She uses her knowledge to take a sometimes comedic look and gives her characters some foresight into the future.  As for the novels, political and social statements, I cannot speak to that, not knowing anything about New York society in the 1870s.

As for entertainment value, this novel offered me very little.  It was difficult to read, and I was frustrated at the obstacles that kept coming between the characters.  I didn't like the main characters for what they were doing to Newland's wife.  Although, I suppose in their defense, one of the reasons they never did get together was because her cousin couldn't stand the thought of hurting her.  Anyway, I read this one to be able to say that I did.  I don't know that I would recommend reading this classic to those whose time is limited.  I am sure there are others out there that would be more worthy of that time.

Happy Reading!

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, was our latest Book Club pick. Surprisingly, not one of us had read it (one of our rules on our selections is that no one can have read it before). Upon picking the book, I expected it to be a heftier volume. It is not as long as I thought it would be; my version was just over 350 pages. I thought that it might take us the better part of the summer to read it, but I finished it in just a couple weeks.

The book is set in the English countryside, around the turn of the nineteenth century. It gives a good look into what life was like then. This is an aspect of the book that I found fascinating. The way people related to one another, the customs and the way the relationships were formed and maintained was very interesting. Typically, I am not interested in books with this setting, but I found that this book was the exception to that.

The genre of the book is definitely romance. Originally, I thought that if it were written in modern times it might be considered fluff. However, after finishing the book, I can truly appreciate the depth that Austen added to the romance. This book was also a statement of the times in which it was written.

Austen does a remarkable job with her character development. The characters are created in such a way that the reader has feeling for them, whether positive or negative. The reader begins to hope for the characters, and to feel with them. At least, that is how I felt when I read the book. The main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is a wonderfully strong woman who defies the times by speaking her mind more often than is deemed appropriate. But at the same time, she is vulnerable, making her a heroine that the reader can instantly like and identify with even though the setting is so far removed from our own.

By the end of the book, I was rooting for Elizabeth and her sister, Jane. As I have said before, any author that can evoke an emotion has done his/her job. In this book, Jane Austen made me care about her characters. There is something to be said for that considering that I don't typically prefer novels written in this era or even this genre. Austen has made me reconsider that, and has made me a fan. I would recommend this book, as long as you can read through the language barrier. Being written in 1796 and published in 1813, the language is very different and I needed to concentrate to get the gist of what was being conveyed. This is the only Jane Austen novel I have read, but I plan on picking up another of her novels in the future.

Happy Reading!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This novel was recommended to me by a friend who is a literature teacher. It is a novel about a woman facing the pressures of life and going through a mental breakdown. It is beautifully written and haunting; at times very dark and at times quite funny.

Because the novel is written in the first person, the dark moments are disturbing. It is an excellent look at what madness truly is. The descriptions, the things the main character (Esther Greenwood) sees, the intense detail here and lack of detail there. This is not an uplifting novel. Added to its disturbing nature is the fact that the novel is semi-autobiographical. The author wrote this novel by fictionalizing her own life and the people in it. The history behind the novel is as interesting as the novel itself. The novel could not be published until the author's mother died. (The Harper Perennial publication has a forward that describes the publishing process for the book, and a "biographical note" at the end regarding Sylvia Plath's life.)

Definitely worth reading. Don't be fooled by its small size. This novel took me a while to finish. Partly because of the time of year - being Christmas time with not much time to read, and partly because of it's intense nature.

Happy reading!

Call of the Wild

My nine year old son asked me to read this. He finished it recently and said that he thought Daddy and I might enjoy it. He read the abridged and adapted version. I loved that he wanted to share a book with me. He sees me share my love of reading with my friends, and it meant so much to me that he wanted to share a good book with me. I promised him that as soon as I finished the book I was reading (Cane River) I would read it.

I sat down on Saturday afternoon, and read his book cover to cover in about an hour and a half. I am sure I read it at some point in my childhood, but I don't remember when, and I didn't remember the story. It was a great read. Very entertaining, action packed and sweet. The story covers the adventures of a dog named Buck as he is stolen and put to work in Alaska during the gold rush. There is a lot of violence and death in this book. I was a little surprised by that.

There were moments when I was fearful for Buck, and moments when I cried. Anytime an author can evoke an emotion, I think they have done their job. There is no question why this book is a classic. Definitely worth reading, and re-reading if it has been years since you have read it.

Happy Reading!