Credit crunch 1900s.......thoroughly modern Lily

The purposeful Lily Bart navigates her way through the wallets and wills of turn of the century New York in a timeless picaresque that would see her appearing on next week's Location, Location, Location....brandishing the proceeds of an elderly relative's post-mortem property boom bequest, in search of a sea view and a pair of floral designer flip-flops.
That Edith Wharton, the equal of Henry James, was in but not of Lily's type and society is the ray of hope in this novel. The boorish Gus Trenor and the dilettante Lawrence Selden are delivered unexpurgated - two sides of the same dollar. It's an enjoyable compleat that takes the listener fully into the House of Mirth - where the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Really enjoyable for a first time Wharton-ite!

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Excellent reading of a fine novel

This is a wonderful novel and is beautifully read by Anna Fields; she is particularly good at doing convincing male voices.
As has already been pointed out, the reading starts with a long introduction by R. W. B. Lewis, Wharton's biographer. This is a good essay on the novel but should be listened to after hearing the novel, since it gives away much of the plot. The novel itself starts at 31 minutes.

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Warning

This is an excellent book, well read, but beware. The reading includes the full text of the introduction to the novel. It gives away the ending, so if you don't want to know what happens, fast forward through to the start of the novel.

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4 people found this helpful