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The Age of Innocence

By Edith Wharton
Series: Vintage Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in Gilded Age New York. It centres on Newland Archer, a young aristocratic lawyer engaged to the beautiful and reserved May Welland. His world is disrupted by the arrival of May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, a worldly woman fleeing a failed marriage. Torn between his duty and his passion, Archer navigates a tragic love triangle constrained by rigid social conventions, exploring themes of desire, responsibility, and societal rules.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3700

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This novel will appeal to readers interested in classic American literature, social dramas, and character-driven stories set in historical contexts. It is particularly suited to those who appreciate nuanced explorations of societal pressure and forbidden love.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

One of Wharton's most famous novels—the first by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize—exquisitely details a tragic struggle between love and responsibility in Gilded Age New York.

Newland Archer, an aristocratic young lawyer, is engaged to the cloistered, beautiful May Welland. But when May's cousin Ellen arrives from Europe, fleeing her failed marriage to a Polish count, her worldly and independent nature intrigues and unsettles Archer. Trapped by his passionless relationship with May and the social conventions that forbid a relationship with the disgraced Ellen, Archer is torn between possibility and duty.

Wharton's profound understanding of her characters' lives makes the triangle of Archer, May, and Ellen both urgent and poignant. An incisive look at the ways desire and emotion must negotiate the complex rules of society, The Age of Innocence is one of Wharton's most moving works.

Series: Vintage Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Gore Vidal praised the novel highly, noting the unforgettable character of Madame Olenska and placing Edith Wharton alongside Henry James as one of the great figures of American literature. This acclaim highlights the book’s enduring impact and literary significance.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780307949516

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2012

Country: United States

Imprint: Vintage Books

Contributors:

  • Introduction by Peter Washington

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 201.0mm

Weight: 266g

Pages: 320

Collections

Classic Fiction Edith Wharton Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Penguin Books Series: Vintage Classics

About the Author

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into high society in New York City. After divorcing her husband in 1913 she took up permanent residence in France. Her many stories and novels were critical successes as well as bestsellers and she won the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Innocence in 1921.

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