whartonbuddyread

repost for @Graywacke

#whartonbuddyread

Thinking way way ahead on the book that has an architectural style names after it. I would like to hold off on our next Wharton novel until August.

#BuddyRead

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2737306

26 likes

Graywacke

The Children | Edith Wharton

so-so

It‘s Wharton, so I should probably just give it a pick, but it‘s not my favorite of hers.

We spend this book waiting to see how Martin will manage his unacknowledged attraction to 15-yr-old Judith, while he tries to help her and her 6 siblings-plus-“steps”, stuck 👆 - Cortina, IT in the Dolomites. We might put it down wondering whether it was J who managed M. But the rest I found ok, but less interesting.

#whartonbuddyread

Lcsmcat

Ruthiella I‘m think it‘s ok to adjust your scale based on expectations. Makes sense to me. 1w

Lcsmcat Just because someone is a “great author” doesn‘t mean every try is a hit, or connects with every reader. I think she was trying to do something important, I‘m just not sure how successful it was in its day, nor how much staying power it has. 1w

Crazeedi This picture ❤️❤️❤️❤️ 1w

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Graywacke @Lcsmcat well, it was a bestseller. But i agree with you. And i don‘t sense much staying power. 1w

Graywacke @Ruthiella thanks. I‘m always hesitant to hit those Litsy percentages. 🙂 1w

Graywacke @Crazeedi yeah, right. Take me there! Please! 1w

47 likes6 comments

Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

#whartonbuddyread

Thinking way way ahead on the book that has an architectural style names after it. I would like to hold off on our next Wharton novel until August.

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe 1w

Graywacke @Daisey @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie @llwheeler @Louise 1w

CarolynM No problem. I might even be able to keep up with the reading schedule by then🙂 1w

See All 23 Comments

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 1w

Graywacke @CarolynM 👍 1w

TheBookHippie Perfect. 1w

Lcsmcat Works for me! (But I hope that it‘s not that long before your power comes back on. 😀) 1w

Graywacke @Lcsmcat we got it back Monday evening. Four days of no power. I‘m still in recovering. 😁 I committed to a group read on fb in June and one of Possession by AS Byatt here on Litsy in July. That‘s why i pushed to August. 1w

Graywacke @TheBookHippie 👍 perfect is good 🙂 1w

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Glad to know it‘s back! I read Possession decades ago (I feel so old!) and LOVED it. I hope you have a similar experience. 1w

Leftcoastzen Yay! 1w

Suet624 4 days feels endless. 1w

Graywacke @Leftcoastzen 🙂 1w

Graywacke @Suet624 it was endless 1w

Liz_M @LitsyEvents 1w

Currey Glad to hear your power is back and happy to push Wharton‘s next to August 1w

dabbe Just the thought of losing power at this time of year makes me like this: 😱. Glad you have it back, and August sounds doable. 1w

Graywacke @Currey thanks! I‘ll miss our group till then. 1w

Graywacke @dabbe i‘m kind of freaking out about an August in Houston without power. Hurricane season expected to be intense, so it‘s a real possibility. 1w

dabbe @Graywacke Oh, man, that is horrible to even remotely contemplate. Houston has certainly gone through some MAJOR weather fiascos. I'll keep my 🤞 for you! 1w

Graywacke @dabbe I appreciate that 1w

jewright Works for me. I‘m not ready to think about August though. School is just ending. 7d

Graywacke @jewright oh, i get that. Same for my wife. 7d

39 likes23 comments

dabbe

The Age of Innocence | Edith Wharton

#StorySettings
#theater
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

The opening scene at the theater: when Newland Archer meets Ellen Olenska. 💙💚💙

Eggs Lovely choice👏🏻🎭🧡 1w

dabbe @Eggs 🤩😀🤗 1w

IMASLOWREADER my favorite book and author of all time…its one of the few books i reread and also owned the movie and audiobook both regular and dramatized lol 1w

dabbe @IMASLOWREADER I'm part of the #WhartonBuddyRead, and this one still is my fave of hers. Gorgeous writing, characters, conflicts ... everything was just so lush. The movie is spectacular, too! (though I'd drool over DDL with any part he played! 🤩) 1w

55 likes4 comments

CarolynM

The Children | Edith Wharton

pick

There are plenty of books about the beautiful people of the early 20th century swanning about Europe from one fashionable location to another in a whirl of social engagements & entertainments & falling in and out of love with one another. This book is about the impact of that behaviour on their children. It is sad, infuriating and amusing in equal measure. Thanks #WhartonBuddyRead for getting me to read it.

Lcsmcat, Graywacke

batsy Nice review ❤️ "Sad, infuriating, and amusing" sums it up. 2w

Lcsmcat Have you noticed that none of the covers manage to show more than 5 children? It just goes to show how very many 7 were! 2w

CarolynM @Lcsmcat I deliberately chose a cover that showed children in action - the ones showing quiet, demure little darlings didn‘t seem at all right for the 7 little Wheaters. 2w

67 likes3 comments

batsy

The Children | Edith Wharton

pick

I didn't quite like this, but it's Wharton—the novel is interesting & unsettling. It seems like it takes the themes that were satirised in Twilight Sleep (irresponsible parents blown about by every wind) & gives it a darker turn. In this one we see the children as fully-fledged characters & the costs of bad parenting hit hard. The other thing is the character of Martin: predatory, genuine, or wayward Peter Pan? All very disturbing to think about.

batsy I suppose what made it bleak is the spectre of Doll Westway haunting this narrative. #WhartonBuddyRead @Lcsmcat 2w

Cathythoughts Great review! Wharton is Wharton indeed. 2w

BarbaraBB Wharton is Wharton. Love that. Also great edition 2w

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Lcsmcat Doll Westway really does haunt it. It made me wonder if Wharton experienced a child‘s suicide. Great review! 2w

batsy @Cathythoughts Thank you! There's something about Wharton—it's rarely a wasted moment. 2w

batsy @BarbaraBB Was very happy to find this Virago edition a few years back 🤩 2w

batsy @Lcsmcat Thank you! I was wondering the same re: her experience. Marilyn French in her intro says that this was one of Wharton's own favourites. 2w

cindyash @Lcsmcat I was shocked by this then shocked that her friend witnessed it, then shocked that her mother didn't seem to care two hoots about it. I wonder two if she experienced it 2w

CarolynM I‘ve just finished reading. Still processing. Looking forward to discussing it with you and the others. 2w

batsy @CarolynM Look forward to your thoughts, Carolyn. There's a lot to mull over. 2w

84 likes10 comments

Lcsmcat

The Children | Edith Wharton

Sorry for the late post - it‘s been a morning. 🙄
We seem to be following Martin to a place we were all hoping he wouldn‘t go, and he‘s deluding himself about. What role does Mrs. Sellarshave in this - is she pushing him that way even as she dreads it? And how does Mr. Dobree‘s visit impact Roseand Martin‘s relationship with? #WhartonBuddyRead

Graywacke

Lcsmcat @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @TheBookHippie @cindyash 3w

Lcsmcat @mdm139 @graywacke @jewright @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER 3w

Graywacke Martin is a mess. It‘s an interesting, if frustrating, look at his internal contradictions and inability to see what we can see. Rose is somewhat heroic here, managing and putting up with Martin. Of course there‘s more to that in Rose, prompted as she is by some jealousy. Still, she‘s being way more than reasonable. 3w

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Currey @Lcsmcat We all seem to be having that kind of day! Martin is certainly more aware and working harder at keeping up the delusion regarding his feelings toward Judith. He knows he is being foolish. Mrs Sellars has her own delusions about her relationship with Martin. Martin‘s comment about loving Mrs Sellars the most when he isn‘t with her as he can then provide both sides of the dialogue really summed it up for me. (edited) 3w

Graywacke I‘m of two minds of Martin on Judith. In many ways he is between normal caring and in-love with Judith and he honestly doesn‘t know where his emotions truly are. In many ways he has a father‘s or brother‘s affection. But also he‘s the leering fool he imagined he observed the doctor to be. Clearly his affection for Judith has washed out his love of Rose, but it‘s a different kind of affection. 👇 3w

Graywacke 👆 Since he doesn‘t seem to know what it is, perhaps we can‘t know either. But we probably can know more than him. He‘s a mess. (edited) 3w

Graywacke @Currey Martin‘s way of handling women? He prefers to think for them. Or, her prefers to mute their concerns… ?? 3w

Lcsmcat @Currey We all win those arguments, don‘t we? And as to him loving her most when not with her, I almost used this quote “He knew now how much she loved him—but did he know how much he loved her?” 3w

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I think he‘s convinced that he‘s being avuncular, but because he wants to be convinced. 3w

Leftcoastzen I think Mrs Sellar is tired of all this nonsense. 3w

Leftcoastzen I think though he‘s all over the place with his feelings for Judith & Rose , he seems to really care about the children. Made me ponder people I know who I think would be great parents who never had kids & terrible parents who shouldn‘t have had them! 3w

Graywacke @Leftcoastzen I wonder at how Wharton‘s own childlessness plays in. Martin is discovering how much he really wanted children. Whereas Rose doesn‘t betray emotions of this sort one way or the other. (Is Rose young enough to still have children?) (edited) 3w

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I get the impression Rose is on the edge of being able to have kids, but it‘s just a feeling. I think Wharton is being much kinder to the children than to any of the adults, so you might have a point. 3w

CarolynM Still lagging behind, I‘m afraid. Hopefully I‘ll catch up for the final discussion. 3w

batsy After calling him creepy in the first section, this is the part that made me like and empathise with Martin. I think he's unsure about how he feels about Judith (and maybe some of those feelings are a tad dodgy), but I like that the narrative places the reader within his confusion and genuine care, so to speak. "The fact is, we're none of us grown up" and "hugging himself for being on the children's side of the eternal barrier" made me like him. 3w

Lcsmcat @CarolynM Jump in whenever you can. I always like your insights. 3w

Lcsmcat @batsy I get that. Martin is a bit of a Peter Pan, but I don‘t think that gives him license to mess up Judith‘s life. She obviously doesn‘t feel toward him that way, given her excitement at his engagement. And he would be just one more adult unsettling these kids‘ lives. 3w

batsy @Lcsmcat Oh yes, the Peter Pan comparison is perfect. 3w

29 likes18 comments

Lcsmcat

The Children | Edith Wharton

We get a little more of the Wharton bite in this Book. She‘s kinder to the children than to their parents. I was reminded of Pauline and her schedule (from Twilight Sleep) in the last section. Still, I don‘t know what to make of Martin. I don‘t think he‘s exactly being honest with himself regarding Judith. Thoughts? #whartonbuddyread

Graywacke

Lcsmcat @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @TheBookHippie @cindyash 1mo

Currey @Lcsmcat Unlike others, I really thought that Martin would pull himself away from “liking” Judith after Book 1. I just didn‘t read it as that creepy. However, Wharton is clearly leading us to keep questioning his intentions and his motivations. So now I am thinking I read him incorrectly. 1mo

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Currey @Lcsmcat The children are more impossible and yet Wharton clearly makes their escape escapade seem totally reasonable given the state of their parents. 1mo

Currey @Lcsmcat And unfortunately Mrs Sellars is portrayed as very “staid” and I would have liked for one adult to be quite thoroughly upright AND likable (edited) 1mo

Lcsmcat @Currey Yes, I don‘t have much hope for Mrs. Sellers helping anything. She‘s more likely to be a complication. 1mo

arubabookwoman i agree that Martin is definitely heading toward creepy (and Mrs Sellars isn't discouraging that). And the parents and their cohorts are being portrayed as acting so badly as to be caricatures, and no longer based in reality. Despite this, I still like the book, and am going along with Wharton for the ride. (I have read this before). 1mo

batsy I had some hope in Mrs. Sellars when she meets Judith and says Judith is too young "for her responsibilities" because it's finally an adult seeing the truth but it didn't quite amount to much. I feel bad for these kids. This is a weird book (not a bad thing) but I'm just not sure what I make of it yet. 1mo

Lcsmcat @batsy I can‘t figure how Wharton is going to end this one. 1mo

Graywacke @batsy “it‘s a weird book” - borderline farce, no? But it hasn‘t crossed that line. The Lodi adults are both caricatures and a playful attack. 1mo

Graywacke Goodness, i still like foolish Martin and his manipulation by Judith. @Currey Mrs. Sellars is really disappointing. Why are they engaged if they don‘t like each other, but just have a friendly fondness? (They barely touch each other…or want to) Oh right, Wharton‘s characters don‘t communicate 🙂 1mo

Leftcoastzen I think Mrs. Sellers knows it‘s better to not get involved, she‘s “retired “ more or less. She and Martin , are they settling? I too , sense it‘s a question of them not ending up alone instead renewing a passion. Once Martin started advocating for the kids , Judith would see him as a lifeline. Is he too interested in Judith? We shall see. 4w

Leftcoastzen And the parents! They want to see these kids now & then , show them off like little trophies, then put them down letting them fend for themselves, with meager hired help. No wonder the kids cling to each other. 4w

cindyash @Leftcoastzen the parents may be caricatures, but while I think Wharton is having fun with them but I do believe theres a germ of truth in what she writes Ive taught childre of these kind of parents. so I wasnt really surprised

Martin is such an interesting character, you usually dont see men in this time getting involved so much with the children. I wonder if she has a person in mind like that 4w

Leftcoastzen @cindyash I wondered too if Wharton knew a man like that . I keep thinking they are rich , why don‘t they just send them to boarding school, then I think about the stories about negative experiences in boarding school!🤨 4w

batsy @Graywacke Yes, it's playing with the line of farce and social commentary. Hence the Twilight mood seems heightened here, a dash of Fitzgerald, but she dials it down with Martin's inner voice. 4w

Lcsmcat @batsy I like “dash of Fitzgerald “ - very apt. Wharton seems to have turned a corner from criticizing the staid “old New York” to critiquing the newer rich. I agree that it is Martin‘s inner voice that grounds the story and keeps it from being farce. But he‘s also the most fully-realized character, with all the others more or less two dimensional which makes me wonder if she‘s actually doing more of a character study on him than 👇🏻 4w

Lcsmcat 👆🏻 social commentary on the rich - nouveau or otherwise. 4w

Lcsmcat @Leftcoastzen @cindyash I had the boarding school thought too. But the parents don‘t seem to value education enough to even warrant that much effort. 4w

cindyash @Lcsmcat hee really not sure which book it is but one parent was shocked to find that Morroco wasnt in South Africa “well then where is it Id like to know“ 4w

28 likes20 comments

Graywacke

The Children | Edith Wharton

Reading with the #whartonbuddyread Actually, i started a week ago, just never posted.

cindyash Hi, found you. really looking forward to this discussion. Ive finished it, but will not spoil anything.... 1mo

Graywacke @cindyash hi. I‘m holding off reading your review until we finish. 🙂 1mo

cindyash @Graywacke yeah I was going to delete it but you can probably avoid it. I could put spoiler notice up!
1mo

Graywacke @cindyash no need to delete it. I know. 1mo

38 likes4 comments

CarolynM

Twilight Sleep | Edith Wharton

pick

#WhartonBuddyRead
Finally finished this one. I enjoyed the satire, particularly Pauline‘s self obsession and pursuit of ways to avoid genuine feeling for anyone else. Lita struck me as an updated Undine Spragg - Hollywood would be exactly the sort of society which would have appealed to her. I wish the ending had been clearer, I would at least like to know why Lita agreed not to divorce.

Lcsmcat, Graywacke

Rissreads That cover is divine! I‘m still to read something by Wharton. I‘ll get there. 1mo

batsy Great review. Agree that more clarity re: the ending would have made this more razor sharp. 1mo

Graywacke I guess Lita can always change her mind later. Nice post 1mo

LeahBergen Great review! 1mo

Lcsmcat I‘m with @Graywacke - I don‘t think anything was fixed permanently! 1mo

57 likes5 comments

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