Everyman's Library Classics: The Custom of the Country : Introduction by Lorna Sage (Hardcover)

from trishrope

Edith Wharton is truly a woman of letters. I cannot think of a contemporary writer who even comes close to matching her style and use of language. It is a pleasure to read her prose, and not difficult or archaic as some may think "Classic Novels" to be. Along with her beautiful prose is her keen ...

from DeltaQueen50

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton tells the story of Undine Spragg, a Midwestern girl who attempts to scale the heights of New York City society. Undine is one of the most unique characters I have come across. Beautiful, selfish, and ignorant. She is terribly spoiled and seems incapable ...

from tshrope

Edith Wharton is truly a woman of letters. I cannot think of a contemporary writer who even comes close to matching her style and use of language. It is a pleasure to read her prose, and not difficult or archaic as some may think “Classic Novels” to be. Along with her beautiful prose is her keen ...

from NaggedMan

Ghastly though our anti-heroine is, I found it difficult to put down. The end is a one-page triumph for the authot. In this edition the editor's asterisks are somewhat irritating, leading to endnotes listed by page number, explaining such things as Pegasus was "the winged horse of the muses", whi...

from Donna828

You can't always get what you want, Undine, but, in the words of the Rolling Stones, you get what you need. Undine is a spoiled and larger-than-life character who wants and "needs" many things. She's not afraid to do what it takes to get them and frequently uses her beauty to take advantage of pe...