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sweetsequels's review against another edition
5.0
This short novel is a great taste of the best of Wharton. Though a lesser known work, I found it to be quite as darkly charming as some of her more popular New York fiction, like House of Mirth, Age of Innocence, etc. I tend to really enjoy her books about poor people living far on the outskirts of high society - these characters feel almost tangible.
This book centers around two spinster sisters whose lives are turned upside down upon the entrance of an intriguing stranger. The man eventually marries one of the sisters...and obviously we can't expect a happy ending. But you'll have to read it to find out just how terrible it is muahaha
This book centers around two spinster sisters whose lives are turned upside down upon the entrance of an intriguing stranger. The man eventually marries one of the sisters...and obviously we can't expect a happy ending. But you'll have to read it to find out just how terrible it is muahaha
medusa3000's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
fearandtrembling's review against another edition
3.0
Psychologically astute with a tinge of melodrama in the manner of that other Wharton novella I have issues with, Ethan Frome. Besides that it's a bleak, chilling look at poverty and aloneness--there's no romance or whimsy about that here--and what happens when real life doesn't live up to the promises of moral ideals or religious conviction. Forgotten women, discarded women, people barely scraping by in the margins of society.
eileen9311's review against another edition
4.0
This was an impulse read. The kindle version was so easily attainable, and there it was when I found myself between books. How beautifully she writes! The story is very sad, though intriguing, and I gather from skimming some of the reviews that this is typical of Edith Wharton.
emilydk's review against another edition
4.0
- Wow this story did not go the way I thought it was going to. It was much sadder than expected.
- At first I was really swept up in Ann Eliza's attraction to Mr. Ramy. I loved the line that her "heart rocked like a boat in a heavy sea" (quoted from memory, may not be verbatim) when she saw him come in. I was really rooting for the two of them and my heart ached for her when she turned him down so her sister would be happy.
- Then, plot twist, he's addicted to opium and sends Evaline to her early grave. So much for that romantic story. Wharton can never seem to give me a happy ending on a love story.
- Good writing as always on Edith's part.
- At first I was really swept up in Ann Eliza's attraction to Mr. Ramy. I loved the line that her "heart rocked like a boat in a heavy sea" (quoted from memory, may not be verbatim) when she saw him come in. I was really rooting for the two of them and my heart ached for her when she turned him down so her sister would be happy.
- Then, plot twist, he's addicted to opium and sends Evaline to her early grave. So much for that romantic story. Wharton can never seem to give me a happy ending on a love story.
- Good writing as always on Edith's part.
readingwithsammi's review against another edition
2.0
No particularly hard to get through which was nice, but was a bit bland all over.
Edith tends to have slow and basic plots, which are very much a slow burn.
I just finished reading [b:The Fox|1071884|The Fox|D.H. Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347826018l/1071884._SX50_.jpg|447590] which gave me very similar vibes. Two ladies past their prime working hard to live a decent life, a man comes in & shakes everything up.
Edith tends to have slow and basic plots, which are very much a slow burn.
I just finished reading [b:The Fox|1071884|The Fox|D.H. Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347826018l/1071884._SX50_.jpg|447590] which gave me very similar vibes. Two ladies past their prime working hard to live a decent life, a man comes in & shakes everything up.
concerningnovels's review
4.0
Now she perceived that to refuse the gifts of life does not ensure their transmission to those for whom they have been surrendered; and her familiar heaven was unpeopled.
I'm convinced that Edith Wharton has written nothing short of a masterpiece. Every novel of hers that I pick up leaves me utterly speechless. I highly recommend this novella to anyone who appreciates Wharton's style, characterization and prose. To those who are new to Edith Wharton, I'd recommend beginning with something a bit brighter and lighter, like The Age of Innocence.
I'm convinced that Edith Wharton has written nothing short of a masterpiece. Every novel of hers that I pick up leaves me utterly speechless. I highly recommend this novella to anyone who appreciates Wharton's style, characterization and prose. To those who are new to Edith Wharton, I'd recommend beginning with something a bit brighter and lighter, like The Age of Innocence.
tien's review
4.0
Overall, I enjoyed this story even if the sisters frustrated me at times. Ann Eliza with the meek self-sacrifice though she grew a little by the end. Evelina who reminds me a little of Lydia Bennett with her thoughtlessness. I had to laugh with her deathbed confession to Ann Eliza; it was a sad moment but it was the confession that made me laugh. I just didn't expect it and I don't actually know New York around that time to know how bad this confession is (Evelina has converted to Roman Catholicism ) especially judging by way of Ann Eliza's reaction. If you're after a short read, I'd highly recommend this one.
courtneydoss's review
5.0
Bunner Sisters is the story of Ann Eliza and Evelina, a pair of sisters living in New York City and running their own shop. Their lives are comfortable and humdrum, but they are sent into a tailspin by the introduction of quiet clockmaker Herman Ramy. Both sisters find themselves enraptured by him, but Evelina is the more vocal of the two and so Ann Eliza surrenders to the idea that her sister will get what she wants. What follows is a deeply nuanced, emotionally complex tale of sisterhood, femininity, marriage and sacrifice.
I feel like this is the kind of book that has to be read to be truly understood. There are no words that I could string together to make someone understand what this story made me feel, what it would make anyone feel. It's the kind of story that has to be experienced, so I will keep this review brief and avoid spoilers. However, I would caution any prospective reader that this story is bleak, like most of Wharton's work. Relentlessly bleak, I would say. A relentlessly bleak, beautifully painful five star read.
I feel like this is the kind of book that has to be read to be truly understood. There are no words that I could string together to make someone understand what this story made me feel, what it would make anyone feel. It's the kind of story that has to be experienced, so I will keep this review brief and avoid spoilers. However, I would caution any prospective reader that this story is bleak, like most of Wharton's work. Relentlessly bleak, I would say. A relentlessly bleak, beautifully painful five star read.
sinuhe's review against another edition
4.0
Wharton definitely had a talent for plot twists, setting you up to be optimistic about a character's future only to dash your hopes. This story is no exception, so be prepared for heartbreak and depression. However, it is (of course) well written and an exquisite slice of turn-of-the-century lower middle class life, and worth the read.