"edith wharton"

Edith Wharton's novel reworks the eternal triangle of two women and a man in a strikingly original manner. When about to marry the beautiful and conventional May Welland, Newland Archer falls in love with her very unconventional cousin, the Countess Olenska. The consequent drama, set in New York during the 1870s, reveals terrifying chasms under the polished surface of upper-class society as the in... ... Read More »

Mrs and Mrs Spragg are hoping to forge an entree into society and arrange a suitably ambitious match for their only daughter. As she unfolds the story of Undine Spragg, from New York to Europe, the author offers a detailed glimpse of upper-class America. ... Read More »

Contains 20 short stories which dramatize the topics that compelled Wharton throughout her career - both comedies of manners and social tragedies, they reflect on marriage, money, romantic delusion, integrity and the crossroads between life, death and art. Also includes ghost stories. ... Read More »

A tale of forbidden sexual passion and thwarted dreams played out against the lush, summer backdrop of the Massachusetts Berkshires Edith Wharton called "Summer" her 'hot Ethan'. In their rural settings and their poor, uneducated protagonists, "Summer" (1916) and "Ethan Frome" represent a sharp departure from Wharton's familiar depictions of the urban upper class. Charity Royall lives unhappily wi... ... Read More »

From the esteemed author of The Age of Innocence--a black comedy about vast wealth and a woman who can define herself only through the perceptions of others. Lily Bart's quest to find a husband who can satisfy her cravings for endless admiration and all the trappings of the rich comes to a scandalous end when she is accused of being a wealthy man's mistress. (Literature/Classics),"The heart of the... ... Read More »

Anna, an American widow living in France, has renewed her relationship with her first love, diplomat George Darrow. But on his way to her chateau, where he hopes to consolidate their marriage plans, Darrow encounters Sophy, who is as vibrant and spontaneous as Anna is reserved and restrained. ... Read More »

Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic novel of passion and desire. The beautiful Countess Ellen Olenska, fleeing her brutish husband, returns from Europe to the upper-class world of Old New York in the 1870s. Her rebellious independence and impulsive awareness of life stir the educated sensitivity of Newland Archer, already engaged to marry Ellen's cousin. "(Wharton's) best book."-- The New Yor... ... Read More »

Wharton's acclaimed portrayals of life, love, and marriage among New York's wealthy society in the early years of this century depict with subtle irony the cruelties of social conventions and the contradictions between monetary values and moral values. These three novels are the best representations of Wharton's intuitive insight. ... Read More »

The perfect marriage between the wealthy, worldly Newland Archer and the beautiful and docile May Welland is threatened by the arrival from Europe of May's cousin, the fascinating Countess Olenska. Read by Kerry Shale. Book available.,Somewhere in this book, Wharton observes that clever liars always come up with good stories to back up their fabrications, but that really clever liars don't... ... Read More »