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The House of Mirth (Wordsworth Classics)
 
 

The House of Mirth (Wordsworth Classics) (Paperback)

by Edith Wharton (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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The House of Mirth (Wordsworth Classics) + The Age of Innocence (Wordsworth Classics) + The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd; New Ed edition (1 Feb 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1840224193
  • ISBN-13: 978-1840224191
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,937 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #1 in  Books > Fiction > 20th Century Classics > Wharton, Edith
    #26 in  Books > Fiction > World > American > Classics
    #91 in  Books > Fiction > Genre > Historical

Product Description

Product Description
The House of Mirth tells the story of Lily Bart, aged 29, beautiful, impoverished and in need of a rich husband to safeguard her place in the social elite, and to support her expensive habits - her clothes, her charities and her gambling. Unwilling to marry without both love and money, Lily becomes vulnerable to the kind of gossip and slander which attach to a girl who has been on the marriage market for too long. Wharton charts the course of Lily's life, providing, along the way, a wider picture of a society in transition, a rapidly changing New York where the old certainties of manners, morals and family have disappeared and the individual has become an expendable commodity. The House of Mirth was published in October 1905 to widespread critical acclaim. It became an instant best-seller and is regarded today as one of Edith Wharton's most accomplished and compelling social satires.

About the Author
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into a distinguished New York family. She not only lived as part of smart society, but it was one of her principal subjects. She was a prolific writer of novels, short stories and articles. She also produced a volume of poems and an adaptation for the theatre of her novel, The House of Mirth. Ethan Frome, which is considered her greatest tragic story, is, by contrast, about simple New England people.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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The House of Mirth (Wordsworth Classics)
89% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Edith Wharton at her best, 24 Jul 2002
By A Customer
In 'House of Mirth', Wharton's prose, timing and deft touch are all much in evidence. What makes this an especially enjoyable work is its unpredictibility. Whilst 'The Age of Innocence' is perhaps Wharton's most famous novel, 'House of Mirth' is more complex (and less cliched, I feel) - and ultimately more satisfying in terms of plot and characterisation.

The novel follows the events surrounding Lily Bart, a society beauty in 19th century New York, who must marry money in order to secure a life of luxury. Lily's flawed character is marvellously fleshed-out - making her a very real heroine. A number of suitors present themselves, but Lily's inability to marry solely for money, the prejudices of New York Society and ultimately - Lily's tendency to play her cards badly - produces a thoroughly absorbing ending.

The film, by the way, does not do the novel justice.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Survive The Savage Society, 9 Feb 2003
By Ms. L. M. Smith "turquoise_floyd" (Suffolk, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Set in 1890's New York, we follow the life of Miss Lily Bart, a dazzling socialite, sharp-witted and beautiful as she whirls amongst the parties and events in the endless social calendar of the fashionable hierarchy. But fortune does not favour Lily; despite her much-admired beauty, she is an impoverished spinster who struggles to keep up with the tremendous expense of living the lifestyle of the exclusive rich set.

Lily's descent into poverty is terribly compelling to witness; scandal follows scandal, as Lily's circle of former acquaintance turns it back on her and leaves only a few caring true friends. Your heart sinks with every step down the social ladder for Lily, and the close of the novel is tragic and moving. Despite her flaws, you are still rooting for Lily to regain her rightful status in genteel society, and this is evidence enough that Edith Wharton was a masterful storyteller. I have yet to see the film of the novel, starring Gillian Anderson as Lily, but if it remains true to the novel, then it must be worth seeing.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very sad love story, 20 Mar 2007
By Alia (Spain) - See all my reviews
It is true that this book is about New York high society in the 19th century but for me it is about all, a very sad love story. Love it is here not enough to overcome the doom for two people who have been risen with almost oposite expectatios on what life must be about. Lily loves Selden truly but she is not capable to give up her expectatios on a rich marriage and life until she start to fall and realizes among other tings, the real worth of her so-called frieds. Her up-rising and education, the enjoyment of her expensive tastes made for her imposible to apreciate in time what love is offering her. So, she fails to love , and so does him, who, with all his virtues cannot love her whithout judging her. He loves who she could be, but no what she already is. A very lovable human being despite all her faults.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not that funny, but tragic and brilliant
I have read four of Edith Wharton's novels and they have all been masterpieces. "House of Mirth" is no exception. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Good Book Fan

4.0 out of 5 stars Mirthless "House"
America and Europe of the 1800s were stiff, gilded, formal place, full of "old" families, rigid customs and social transgressions. Especially for women. Read more
Published 1 month ago by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars Lily Bart: tragic heroine
Wharton uses the familiar trajectory of Greek tragedy: the seemingly unassailable hero/heroine free falling further and further down to death and destruction. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nina-Jo Rees

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at 19th Century New York Society
"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" Ecclesiastes 7:4 KJV. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Misfit

4.0 out of 5 stars With friends like these...
Poor Lily Bart the star socialite looking for that perfect marriage combining love and wealth. To begin all seems well and with no shortage of offers Lily simply needs to make her... Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2006 by Tim Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars "Is there any test of genius but success?"
Published in 1905, The House of Mirth offers a blistering social commentary on the lifestyles and behavior of super-rich American society. Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2006 by Mary Whipple

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