Described as the 'hot' Ethan Frome, Summer is Edith Wharton revelling in the "euphoric and depressed, confident and abjectly vulnerable" feelings that her real life love affair with Morton Fullerton engendered in her, according to Elizabeth Ammons in her Introduction to my Penguin Classic edition. Summer features all of Wharton's trademark themes - class consciousness, … Continue reading Summer | Edith Wharton
Tag: Edith Wharton
A Motor-Flight Through France | Edith Wharton
I was so excited when my beautiful copy of A Motor-Flight Through France turned up in time for Wharton Review month. The look and feel of the cover, the premise (a road trip through France pre-WWI), the paper, even the size of the book - perfect! First published in 1908, this edition came with a … Continue reading A Motor-Flight Through France | Edith Wharton
Roman Fever | Edith Wharton
Sadly life has got in the way of my good intentions for Wharton Review month this year. The only Edith Wharton books that I have completed this month are short story collections...and Roman Fever was one I started last year!! Oh well, something is better than nothing.... I do enjoy a good short story and … Continue reading Roman Fever | Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton | Hermione Lee #biography
I had grand plans to start and finish this extraordinary biography about Edith Wharton during May & The Wharton Review. Grand plans indeed! Hermione Lee's biography of Edith Wharton has 756 pages with another 66 pages of notes at the end. The font is the smallest font allowable to still be legible! There are three … Continue reading Edith Wharton | Hermione Lee #biography
A Backward Glance | Edith Wharton #autobiography
I've been putting off writing this review for Wharton Review month, because I love Edith Wharton's books and I don't want to write something negative about her! A Backward Glance is her autobiography first published in 1934 - only three years before her death on the 11th August, 1937. Wharton's strong control of the story … Continue reading A Backward Glance | Edith Wharton #autobiography
Xingu | Edith Wharton #shortstory
Well, isn't Xingu a wonderful little surprise package? I first heard about this Wharton short story earlier in the year when there was a run of reviews for it out there in blogger land. When I decided to host The Wharton Review this month, I had The Reef, A Backward Glance and the Hermione Lee … Continue reading Xingu | Edith Wharton #shortstory
The Reef | Edith Wharton
I'm not sure how I'm going to review The Reef without revealing spoilers, so read ahead at your own peril. Firstly, I'm not even sure if I enjoyed The Reef! I read The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, Custom of the County and Ethan Frome in my twenties. I remember loving them, especially TAOI. … Continue reading The Reef | Edith Wharton