Born 1862 New York City
Died 1937 (aged 75)
Occupation Novelist, short story writer, designer
"If we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."
Edith Wharton
"Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins."
Edith Wharton
Clara says - "A good book is the antidote to monotony; how else can we have the incredible ability to mind read?"
I love having books recommended to me and find myself to be attracted to books by women about women. Google'd Edith and like the sound of her work - life was so different for women in that era. Were the women in her books as happy/happier than women today? I'll have a look in Vinnies (St Vincents Thrift shop, where I buy most of my books, then pass them on to others. Could go to the library but I tend to take too long to read a book as I read at bedtime and nod off.
A group of women, along with the photography tutor (who was wearing a tartan scarf which reflected the colours of his striped shirt), had coffee after class, during which we all confessed to being Thrift shop enthusiasts and ended up going to a "half price" sale where I picked up 'The Historian ' by Elizabeth Kostova. Looking forward to immersing myself in a captivating tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present. I love books which do that. By the way, what is a kindle?
Oh I could write a book about all the Edith Wharton books I've read and loved. My first and still favorite is Ethan Frome. She wrote it in 1911, and it was one of three that took place in the rural countryside rather in New York or Europe. It was made into a wonderful movie starring Liam Neeson as Ethan Frome back in 1992. Another favorite is Summer. It also takes place in the country side and deals with forbidden love, a topic not often discussed as openly at that time in novels. Of course there is Age of Innocence, which she won the Pulitzer for and House of Mirth, wonderful large, long novels that will keep you reading into the winter nights. Both were also made into excellent movies. I'm especially fond of Age of Innocence with Daniel-Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead roles. There are so many more including lots of short stories that give you the essence of Edith Wharton without the 30 year committment.
ReplyDeleteAs for collecting books, I have them layered deep on shelves all over the house. I should go through them and send at least the paper backs off to Goodwill, but I can't bear to part with them just yet. Of late I resort to my Kindle, the electronic book by Amazon. You can turn in on and download books in a minute anytime of the day. A lot of the older, out of print novels have been "published" by interested parties and are free on the kindle. I found lots of EW that way. The Kindle is awesome, I highly recommend you add it to a gift wish list.
One last thing about my reading... I switch back and forth between books like Age of Innocence and current day mysteries. I am hooked on a series by Steig Larson...The Girl...No doubt you've heard of them.
So I off to cook brats and beer. More later.
R