deserves to be read
The Age of Innocence is a book that modern readers will perhaps find hard to appreciate. Not so much from the writing itself -- Edith Wharton is one of the masters of literary craft and this book won her the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1921. Rather, modern readers, raised in an age of independence and the anti-hero, where cultural standards are routinely smacked down with a hammer, may just not understand or have patience for the conflicts and dilemmas raised in the book. In exquisite detail, Edith brings the cultural boundaries, customs, and mores of upper class New York in the 1870s to life, primarily through the relationships between Newland Archer, May Welland, and Ellen Olenska. The characters are conflicted by having to balance restrictions and customs of their class, and their feelings of duty and honor, against human emotions of love and passion. I think modern readers should really give this book a chance, as it offers a rare insight into a world long forgotten, and if only for that, it deserves to be read.
Audio book version is quite good
This is another in a series of classics I have been listening to on my commute. This is my first time through the novel, though I have seen several movie versions of the novel in the past.
My reaction to the audio book was fairly positive. The narrator, David Horowitch, generally did a very good job. His characterizations were fairly good, though not in the same league as a Jim Dale. I still had to pay attention to which character was speaking, though I could tell the two main characters apart. My biggest complaint was how he spoke too quietly where I couldn't understand him. It was appropriate at those points in the story, but it was too much. Since I am driving, the road noise is too great to handle such a dynamic range.
The novel itself is excellent and does a good job showing the social norms of the time and the struggles Newland had in dealing with them. It effectively showed the temptations that many people have dealt with, and one man's response to those temptations.
I recommend this audio book, but note that it is best to listen to with either ear phones or in a quiet room due to the extreme dynamic range of the speaker.
a perfectly-written classic
It is easy to see why The Age of Innocence has achieved the ranks of a classic -- the writing is perfect and probes the themes of love, loyalty, passion and tradition with timeless clarity. The story is set in upper-class Old New York, with its strict codes of conduct concerning even the most minute actions, ceaseless preoccupation with giving and attending dinner parties, and endless gossip about the doings of all the other members of its small, self-absorbed society. It is a world so far-removed from the 21st century that it is impossible to relate to, and seems ridiculous. Indeed, Wharton often seems to be poking subtle fun at this world in which she lived.
Against this backdrop she tells the story of a man and woman who, against all conventions, fall in love with each other and must make the choice between their desires and the rules of the society in which they live. Wharton probes and reveals their feelings, and those of the other main characters, with a deft and skillful touch.
The Age of Innocence has what I consider one of the best endings in literature. Wharton gives her book a conclusion that is truly bittersweet (quite a bit more bitter than sweet, actually). And because she does not explicitly explain her characters' motives, it leaves the reader wondering, with plenty of room for speculation as to why her characters behaved the way they did. It is hard to imagine a conclusion more masterful than that.
The narration of this audio version was very good. Although the narrator was a bit weak on some of the female voices (such as Mrs. Welland's lisp which I found a bit much), he did a particularly good job with Ellen Olenska's voice and overall it is an excellent performance.
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