How revolutionary, but how boring

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 don't like to have books finished by other authors -- would have preferred to have BUCCANEERS left in its incomplete state.

Wharton, you treasure. Unfortunately you can tell the book was just tied up in a bow by a different author at the end. The characters lost their dimension, but I am grateful nonetheless

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.

Valutazione 4,5
Ero molto curiosa di leggere questo romanzo incompiuto della Wharton e devo dire che non mi ha deluso. Certo lo stile narrativo è un po’ meno sofisticato del solito ma la storia è ben costruita, malgrado qualche salto temporale di troppo e, sicuramente, alcuni personaggi mancano un po' di approfondimento però, malgrado qualche difetto qua e là, mi sono ritrovata coinvolta nelle vicende di queste cinque ragazze americane che, reiette socialmente, perché parvenue nella loro Patria, vanno in cerca di un riscatto sociale nella vecchia e polverosa Inghilterra e grazie ad un personaggio incisivo e insolito come Laura Testvalley (vero nome Testavaglia, discendente di patrioti del Risorgimento e cugina del pittore e poeta preraffaellitavero Dante Gabriel Rossetti che, nel romanzo, ha un ruolo minore ma di una certa importanza) vero deux ex machina della situazione, riescono con successo nel loro intento seppur con destini diversi...
Ed è proprio attraverso la figura della governante Laura Testvalley che l’autrice disvela il cinismo e i pregiudizi americani e l’ipocrisia al di qua dell’Oceano Atlantico. Due mondi, due culture, due modi di pensare completamente diversi che conosceva molto bene e non aveva alcun scrupolo di denunciare...
Accanto a Laura la figura di Nan, la più sognatrice, vera ed idealista delle ragazze che, inconsapevole del suo fascino, colpirà con la sua spontaneità e profondità d’animo, due uomini completamente diversi e, alla fine, troverà la forza di fare una scelta coraggiosa e romantica dopo aver raggiunto l’apice del successo sociale ma anche dell’infelicità…

Marion Mainwaring did an admirable job completing this unfinished Wharton tale, although I’ll always wonder how Wharton might have twisted it still more herself. It’s a tale of young beauties, ostracized by New York high society as “new money”, visiting London and taking the town by storm, and all the complications that arrive thereafter. The old prejudices, the allure of the new & fresh, and the clash of cultures all mix for a splendid novel.

This is the first Edith Wharton book I have read. As other reviewers have noted, there is a distinct difference in writing after part III going into part IV of this book due to Ms. Wharton’s death.

I absolutely loved the first three sections of this book. The author was so subtle in her writing and leaving it to the reader to imagine what took place. In the last two sections, the writer was not as successful as Ms. Wharton, hence; my four star review.

I am eager to read her other books. It has been a very long time since I have read a book with such excellent character development.

This took me forever, I blame Davey. However I loved it! Edith Wharton is a funny gal. Some of the characters reminded me of Pride and prejudice (high praise). I will defs revisit this one when I’m no longer in postpartum fog. Thanks to Meggy for the rec!

This book was surprisingly meh for me!! I expected to love it but it felt rather disjointed (it was in fact a manuscript completed by another author following Edith Wharton’s death) and I didn’t love the characters.

The first couple of sections (called "Books") were a little slow, but if you can endure until "Book Three" that's when the real story line seems to start. I had a hard time setting it down from there until the end.

“But never had there been any phenomenon to match this, this—he recalled an article—this “invasion of England by American women and their chiefs of commissariat, the silent American men....” “What a gang of buccaneers you are!” he breathed to his wife. “Buccaneers,” Lizzy reminded him gently, “were not notorious for paying fortunes for what they took.”

3.5. While I was not charmed over the secrets of the heart, nor sorry for the hopeless marriages I was very compelled by the history played out of rich American women being called on to save large English estates. It felt like everyone got what they deserved in the end. For the Americans, dashed hopes and unmet expectations of romance and glamour in nobility. The Englishmen, wives who refused to play the part assigned to them for traditions sake.