A review by eb00kie
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
This is like the sad American version of 'The Grand Sophy' and simply the American version of 'Enigma Otiliei'. I respect this book for the ironies, the delightful level of detail, but the hypocrisy and naivite of the characters are so clear (possibly because this book was a pioneer at its time, but many others stood on the shoulders of this giant) that it feels hamfisted, their ruined predetermined. Also, I looked on Wiki to double-check.
Mutually assured distruction is fine, but I want people who stare at disaster with their eyes open. Watching a worthy protagonist struggle against destruction is completely different than this guy thinking about how he's going to make his wife smart and wity. It's a common human failure, but I want to see struggle, not inevitability.
Mutually assured distruction is fine, but I want people who stare at disaster with their eyes open. Watching a worthy protagonist struggle against destruction is completely different than this guy thinking about how he's going to make his wife smart and wity. It's a common human failure, but I want to see struggle, not inevitability.