A review by milesjmoran
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
5.0
He had her in his arms, her face like a wet flower at his lips, and all their vain terrors shrivelling up like ghosts at sunrise. The one thing that astonished him now was that he should have stood for five minutes arguing with her across the width of the room, when just touching her made everything so simple.
I fell in love with Edith Wharton after reading The House of Mirth back in 2017, and I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring her other works, especially her ghost stories, but I've been holding off on reading The Age of Innocence, wanting to save it, and while I love The House of Mirth more, this novel comes a very close second. What Wharton does brilliantly in this book is capturing the claustrophobia of this society - she overwhelms you with names, foods, paintings, street names, and rules until your head is swimming with them, making you feel as constrained as her characters. You really get a sense of what being in the midst of this society is like, and how dangerous it can be to stray even the slightest bit away from it. To be different or to make a mistake can result in being shunned and fervently discussed behind your back. The duplicitous, judgemental nature of this exclusive, tightly knit circle makes for uncomfortable reading as you hope that, somehow, Ellen will make it through unscathed. I love the way Edith Wharton discusses women in her work, the limitations set upon them and the blatant double-standards of society, and I think she explores that wonderfully through the character of Ellen. The ending of the book, without giving anything away, completely caught me off-guard and, while it left me heavy hearted, I think it's poignant and clever enough not to completely destroy me.
I fell in love with Edith Wharton after reading The House of Mirth back in 2017, and I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring her other works, especially her ghost stories, but I've been holding off on reading The Age of Innocence, wanting to save it, and while I love The House of Mirth more, this novel comes a very close second. What Wharton does brilliantly in this book is capturing the claustrophobia of this society - she overwhelms you with names, foods, paintings, street names, and rules until your head is swimming with them, making you feel as constrained as her characters. You really get a sense of what being in the midst of this society is like, and how dangerous it can be to stray even the slightest bit away from it. To be different or to make a mistake can result in being shunned and fervently discussed behind your back. The duplicitous, judgemental nature of this exclusive, tightly knit circle makes for uncomfortable reading as you hope that, somehow, Ellen will make it through unscathed. I love the way Edith Wharton discusses women in her work, the limitations set upon them and the blatant double-standards of society, and I think she explores that wonderfully through the character of Ellen. The ending of the book, without giving anything away, completely caught me off-guard and, while it left me heavy hearted, I think it's poignant and clever enough not to completely destroy me.