Sanctuary is one of Edith Wharton's earlier works and, while not as refined or as impactful as her later works, is still well worth a read.

The short story follows Kate Orme, a young girl who discovers an awful secret concerning her betrothed, and is divided into two parts, set in different times of her life.

I think I liked the first part a little bit more because I really appreciated Kate's fall from innocence, her slow but inexorable understanding of how the people around her had the same way of handling ugly secrets, and how she seemed to be the only one with a strong moral sense.

The second part was still quite interesting, and I was surprised by the happy ending. Being used to Wharton's later works, I was totally expecting Kate's son to reveal himself just like his father. While it was nice to see Kate vindicated, a part of me thinks that maybe the opposite ending would have been more incisive, and that probably an older Wharton would have indeed chosen it.

not my favorite wharton, i enjoyed the first third but the main portion of the novella after the time skip left me a bit flat

Edith Wharton's novella about moral choice and temptation spreads itself over two generations and two men's moral dilemmas. The woman at the center of this story is first a girl on the edge of marriage, who discovers a dark secret regarding the man she is to marry, and a mother, whose son must make a similar choice. In this world, where money is king, I dare say most people would never resist the temptations presented to these men.

I read this at one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed the story and waiting, like Kate, to see which would be chosen, the easy way or the moral one.

Novela que habla sobre la moralidad en los principios del siglo XX cuando la gente desperdiciaba su vida para salvar a otra! Muy bien escrita con buenos momentos, pero no es de sus mejores obras!