I was already a fan of Wharton going into this book. She writes so beautifully and has such interesting characters. She certainly captures this particular period of time well. She wrote what she knew, and her own life experiences certainly play a role in parts of this story. I adored the first 29 chapters that she wrote. It reminded me a little of Downtown Abbey.

It’s such a shame that she died and did not finish the book though. While I know that Mainwaring was an expert on Wharton and followed her synopsis, we’ll never know exactly what she would have said. For me there was a clear shift in the voice and style for the last 12 chapters that Mainwaring wrote.
4.5 stars for Edith, 3 for Marion, so I made it 4 stars.

I was totally absorbed in the story, right up until the point where Wharton's original manuscript ended. I didn't know in advance that that was the part where she left off and Mainwaring took the story up, I only know that's where it became less interesting and a bit unoriginal.

I felt that the truly intended ending was heavily foreshadowed by Wharton: I can't even remember exactly who was present in this scene, but I think it was Miss Testvalley getting a tour of Honourslove from Sir Helmsley Thwarte. She is shown a Holbein painting of an ancestor and it is explained, that he was accused of being Anne Boleyn's lover; he was executed in her presence, before she was executed later herself. The theory being, of course, that Anne Boleyn represents Annabel, and the ancestor falsely accused of being her lover, represents Guy Thwarte. (I feel this theory of foreshadowing is backed up by the scheming of Lizzy and Hector to put Lizzy's sister Mabel in the way of the Duke of Tintagel, as a potential second wife. As though the Duke plays the part of Henry VIII and Mabel as Jane Seymour). Mainwaring's ending is quite happily ever after, which several readers have pointed out, Wharton did NOT do in her stories.

I haven't actually seen anyone else point out this foreshadowed incident, but it immediately jumped out at me as being very obvious. So I will be wondering for the rest of my life exactly how Wharton intended to ruin Annabel and Guy's impending happiness; but ruin I most certainly do think she meant to do.

Read through chapter 29 which is the end of the original material by Edith Wharton.

Well well! This book was uneven - it starts off with incredible momentum, I was mesmerized! - but after the time skip, when book 3 begins, events and characterizations become sketchy and lose momentum drastically. It's a bit disappointing.

But even so, as I read on, there are excellent parts: the examinations of (courtly) married life and gender roles, cultural and class differences, and the perspectives of the older upper crust women which I joked about but which comprise an important, textured, and meaningful heart of the book. Oddly, it's through those upper crust ladies that the story is really *seen*, emotionally, and I'm not clever enough to say if that's some sort of commentary (I suppose it is), but the effect is cool. The whole book feels as if it's riding on a kind of wild gossip-energy, the girls like sprites, the men hardly there, and time flying by in conversation, dinner parties, and dances.

It's good stuff. Judging by the quality of the first half, if Edith had finished the content and revised the jank of the time skip, this likely would've been amazing. As it is, the first half was a real joy and the second half is a framework with glimpses of promise. And that's enough for me to say that this was worth it. Edith, I'll be returning to you in the future!

I absolutely loved this Edith Wharton book, perhaps 4.3 stars?? I loved the women who stormed society together and who helped illustrate the craziness of social norms back in the day. From Conchita to Nan, each woman had their own fire, with Nan being the one I enjoyed reading about most since you could not help but relate to her innocence (sometimes too childish for her own good) and admire spunk, and courage to stand on her own once the cards fell

I'm afraid that the book lost steam about 2/3 of the way through. For me, it became turgid and the and lost its magic. This is the second time I have read it and, sorry to say, I didn't like it any better the second time.

Grâce à une amie qui ne pouvait supporter l'idée que je n'aie jamais lu "les boucanières", je viens de le dévorer (lumière éteinte à 3 h 30 pour le finir cette nuit ) et ça faisait fort longtemps qu'un roman ne m'avait autant plu !!
En premier le style incisif, ironique, percutant de l'auteure qui ne s'embarrasse pas de périphrase quant elle fait traiter Jacky March de "pauvre petite sotte" par Miss Machin-valley (impossible de retrouver son nom ! ) La finesse de dissection de la psychologie des personnages (particulièrement ce malheureux duc de Tintagel) est un délice : on pénètre dans les arcanes d'un psychisme, le tout dans un langage clair et compréhensible, ce qui n'est pas forcément le cas d'auteurs dits "psychologiques" !
Les deux sociétés, l'américaine et l'anglaise, sont également disséquées et mises à nu avec délectation et ironie, les mettant à peu près sur le même plan de sottise, de snobisme, de vacuité et de vanité au sens propre du terme.
On sent bien que l'auteure parle de ce qu'elle connaît, ayant été elle-même partie de cette grande bourgeoisie new-yorkaise, et elle aussi victime de ces mariages sociaux (les Japonais et leurs omiaï pourraient prendre des leçons !)
Bien sûr ce n'est ni la société anglaise ni l'américaine en général qui sont dépeintes, mais seulement ce que l'on nomme "la haute Société".
La description de la noblesse anglaise, écrasée et sclérosée par la tradition, jusque dans les coulisses des problèmes d'argent et du délabrement des châteaux emplis de trésors artistiques qui s'empoussièrent et moisissent, est sans pitié ! Le duc de Tintagel est un archétype de ces héritiers pétrifiés par le devoir qu'une tradition agonisante et pesante leur impose.
Car l'avenir, c'est Lizzy, que Mr Robinson a eu l'intelligence de comprendre et d'épouser, elle saura utiliser les ressorts des deux sociétés pour s'y créer sa place,s'y faire admettre, et par là même les changer, car elle n'a pas d'autre valeur que d'avoir le meilleur de chacune et elle s'adaptera en les adaptant !
La "petite duchesse" et son amour n'ont d'intérêt que parce qu'ils montrent que ceux qui le veulent peuvent s'affranchir de ces carcans, qu'on peut choisir même si la société ostracise ceux qui l'osent, le jeu en vaut la chandelle, comme on dit !
C'est aussi grâce à Nan que l'on peut plonger au cœur de l'esprit d'un aristocrate anglais comme , je l'espère, on n'en fait plus !!
Ce pauvre duc m'a souvent fait de la peine, détruisant avec assiduité tout ce qui aurait pu le rendre heureux au nom de la Tradition, et même sa mère a eu un moment de lucidité en se souvenant de tout ce que sa vie avait été, mouvement provoqué par le départ de sa belle-fille... mais ce n'est qu'un éclair ! D'ailleurs heureusement pour elle, si elle se rendait compte à son âge que sa vie a été perdue pour du vide, du vent, de l'inutile, c'est un coup à en mourir sur place !
Bref, en un mot comme en cent j'adore ce roman, je découvre qu'il y a une série, je vais m'y intéresser !!

(4.5⭐️) Loved this book!! Top reads of 2024. Edith Wharton writing about the 1870s in the 1930s has a certain perspective/narrative that reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.. An author has lived through these experiences and can reflect, adding to the characters and plot in a way only they can. I knew that during the Gilded Age, America’s new money had daughters who married British aristocracy, but I never considered the big picture or narrative behind it. It was so interesting to compare the difference between American and British values through the character of the governess, Miss Testavalley. It was similar to Jane Austen in the way that each daughter/character represented the complex sentiments of the period. This was Wharton’s last novel and was left unfinished but with an outline. Wish just those notes were included rather what read as a haphazard ending. Iconic. Now I need to read The Age of Innocence

I love Edith Wharton so feel compelled to note that I’d give the writing alone 5 stars, but the storyline wasn’t my favorite.

Lots of fun and often overlooked, this chronicles the marriage prospects of four daughters of nouveau riche Americans who hope to land cash-poor English aristocrats. After all, new fortunes can’t buy entrance to New York society, but the doors have to swing wide open if the families can boast a duke for an in-law. But can a titled marriage bring happiness? Of course not (at least not always), but the individual journeys make for great reading.

Отличная книга, тот самый Толстый Роман для зимних вечеров, не очень быстрый, не очень медленный. Мог бы быть и толще, но, как известно, закончить его не успели. Ужасно жаль (по ощущениям, там не хватает еще примерно трети), но лучше уж так, чем с переработками и домыслами эпигонов. Оказалось, что единственным способом добыть оригинальный текст является покупка раннего издания конца 30х.

Эдит Уортон пишет о британской аристократии очень похоже на Исигуро: с уважением и порой восхищением, но все-таки _снаружи_, как почтительный наблюдатель. И это очень правильно, потому что большинство POW-рассказчиков тоже пришли извне: гувернантка, Аннабелл, даже Гай после долгого отсутствия чувствует себя посторонним.

В известном смысле этот роман -- приквел к The Age of Innocence: там вышедшая замуж в Европу американка возвращается домой, тут стайка американских красавиц отправляется на охоту за женихами в Великобританию. Теперь я жалею, что смотрела сериал с его дурацкими выдумками, но, с другой стороны, там столько наверчено нового и чуждого книге, что это практически разные истории, слегка объединенные именами героев и общим сюжетом.

Edith Wharton is an excellent writer. I felt compelled to keep reading. However, I feel that this story is "broken" which is good is good and evil is evil but evil wins. This is the second Edith Wharton book (The other book being The Age of Innocence) where I couldn’t identify with the protagonist. I’ve decided it’s because Edith Wharton doesn’t seem to have a Christian moral value system coming across in her books. She does a good job keeping up with the Modern value system of the times, but I am disappointed when there is no valuable life lesson learned.

RIP Edith Wharton you would have loved “so american” by Olivia Rodrigo