Book Review: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This past week, I finished reading the House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  THANK GOD!  It was agony for me which is probably why it took me 2 months to read!  I thought I was going to love it, because I recall really enjoying Ethan Frome which is also written by Edith Wharton.  At times, it held my interest, but for the most part, I couldn’t wait for it to end.  Fortunately, my kindle had a dictionary so I could look up some words that I’d never heard spoken in modern day English.  This is what I think it was about…

Lily is a young woman trying to climb the social ladder and marry a rich man.  She is very beautiful and charming, so some wealthy ladies take her into their social circle.  She is forced to “borrow” money from her friend’s husband (Mr. Trenor) to keep up her lavish lifestyle, but I think he expected something other than money in return.  She cuts ties with that relationship and takes a trip with another wealthy couple (the Dorsets) to Europe.  While in Europe, Mrs. Dorset was having an affair with a young man and was caught.  To take the attention off of herself, Mrs. Dorset accuses Lily of having an affair with her husband and Lily is cast out of high society.  Lily spends the next months trying to reestablish herself in society and maintain a high standard of living, but is eventually forced to live in a small room in a community house.  She comes to realize that lavish parties and expensive dresses aren’t what life is all about and tries to rekindle a relationship with an old flame, Lawrence Selden.  She visits him at his apartment, but he is not very welcoming.  The next day, he decides to go to her room to tell her that he loves her, but he is too late as she has overdosed on sleeping pills.  The end.

At least this book helped me sleep at night. 

So, after reading The House of Mirth, my reading total comes to 11 out of 50 books from the list of 1001 books to read before you die.  The other 10 are:

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
9. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

I think I’ll read something written within the last century next time!