A review by doctorwithoutboundaries
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

5.0

“In reality they all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but only represented by a set of arbitrary signs.”

This novel contains multitudes; only an astute reader can dig through the layers to reveal the treasure beneath. A Pulitzer Prize winner, this is nothing short of a masterpiece, clever right from the title to every last bit of calculated dialogue that I can only expect from [a: Edith Wharton|16|Edith Wharton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484512230p2/16.jpg]. Few writers have been capable of such keen psychological insight and mastery of subtext.

On the surface, the story of a man who must choose between convention and passion, but through the premise, Wharton uses her unparalleled wit and sophisticated understanding to skewer the mores of the time, and shows us how her characters were trapped by their wealth and status in a rigid system of unspoken traditions. The movie adaptation starring Daniel Day Lewis, Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer does an accomplished job of capturing this struggle.

This "Novel of Manners" is the perfect read for those who like a good period drama. Wharton recreates late 19th century high society vividly, and even through dry irony, betrays pity for those characters who are forced to lead stifled lives. Fans of [a: Jane Austen|1265|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1651510251p2/1265.jpg] will enjoy both this and my personal favourite of Wharton's novels: [b: The House of Mirth|17728|The House of Mirth|Edith Wharton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328729186l/17728._SY75_.jpg|1652564]. A feminist before feminism was a thing, a writer far ahead of her time, known for classics that still feel fresh, Edith Wharton deserves to be read by all.