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The House of Mirth Audiobook
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(3.00) - 32,964 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Set among the elegant brownstones and opulent country houses of turn-of-the-century upper-class New York, Edith Wharton’s first great novel is a precise, satiric portrayal of what the author herself called “a society of irresponsible pleasure-seekers.”
Her brilliantly complex characterization of the doomed Lily Bart, whose stunning beauty and dependence on marriage for economic survival reduce her to a decorative object, is an incisive commentary on the status of women in that society. Lily is all too much a product of the world indicated by the title, a phrase taken from Ecclesiastes: “The heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” From her tragic attraction to bachelor lawyer Lawrence Seldon to her desperate relationship with the social-climbing Rosedale, it is Lily’s very specialness that threatens the fulfillment she seeks in life.
Time after time, Lily fails to make the ultimate move, to abandon the possibility of a greater love and enter into a mercenary union. This masterful novel from one of literature’s greatest voices is a tragedy of money, morality, and missed opportunity.
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"Lily has everything a girl could want in the early 20th century: beauty, friends, and the admiration of men. The only thing that she doesn't have; money and a husband to provide it, is the one thing she can't get. Lily is pretty vapid and selfish most of the time, but when she fumbles and sabotages herself from moving upward. She is a tragic figure. Her clashes with Selden, a working man, separate from society, is especially interesting. A book about how society shapes our desires and crushes us with them."
— Kayla (5 out of 5 stars)
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“The listener is well served in this audiobook by the truly marvelous narration of Anna Fields. She perfectly captures Lily and a largish cast, discriminating among them with such skill that you’ll believe you’re hearing a full-cast recording. Wharton’s book, though dated, is fine, and Fields makes it even finer. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Fields’ rendition vivifies the character in such a way that they become lifelong companions in one’s mind.”
— Booklist -
“The performance by Fields is a perfect balance of energy and subtlety, lending and authenticity that is in keeping with Wharton’s vibrant prose style.”
— Kliatt -
“A tragedy of our modern life, in which the relentlessness of what men used to call Fate and esteem, in their ignorance, a power beyond their control, is as vividly set forth as ever it was by Aeschylus or Shakespeare.”
— New York Times -
“Wharton’s characters leap out from the pages and…become very real. You know their hearts, souls and yearnings, and the price they pay for those yearnings.”
— San Francisco Examiner -
“Wharton is mercilessly frank as she chronicles Lily’s fall from grace…where individual tragedies are easily subsumed by the current of other people lives.”
— Guardian (London) -
“Perhaps the finest study of American social life, certainly the strongest and most artistic novel of the year.”
— San Francisco Chronicle, 1905
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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One of Modern Library's 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century
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A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
The House of Mirth Listener Reviews
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" Gorgeous and lush writing, of course. In terms of story, a bit more wheel-spinning than I'd like, but I love the way she witholds--so what is not written is equally important as what is. "
— Caroline, 2/20/2014 -
" This book was just OK for me. The main character reminded me a bit of Miranda from Dragonwyk...hard to believe the choices she made throughout the book. I felt the story would have been better if it were about 100 pages shorter. Not too much mirth in this book. I can honestly say it's hard to believe a love for wealth would be powerful enough to overpower true love... "
— Eomicheli, 1/28/2014 -
" This book just gets more interesting every time I read it. My take on the character of Lily Bart has definitely evolved over the last 10 years. "
— Amber, 1/22/2014 -
" The story of Lily Bart is a story about how a young woman slips through the cracks of society and finds herself on the outside due to the poor choices she makes. There is also an excellent movie with Gillian Anderson as Lily. Edith Wharton is one of my favourite novelists. Wharton was considered a masterful novelist. Even her second novel shows her true talent. She is an inspiration to me as a writer. This was the second time I have read this book. "
— Andrea, 1/16/2014 -
" The novel started off well but then I personally found that it got dull and eventless up until the last few chapters which were fantastic. When you see the final decline of Ms Bart is when I think Wharton truly shines and I hope this continues in the next novels. "
— Maaian, 1/10/2014 -
" i really enjoyed the first half of the book -- i especially enjoyed giggling at lily's self-absorption and arrogance. the second half started to drag on after a while, but i enjoyed it overall. "
— Lauren, 12/24/2013 -
" Loved this book. Older book but holds up so well still. "
— Phyllis, 12/22/2013 -
" I love Judith Wharton. I read this book over 20 years ago and recommend it highly. "
— Valerie, 9/3/2013 -
" Great slice of life of New York high society in the 1900's. "
— Philicia, 8/29/2013 -
" Edith Wharton was ahead of her time, a true talent. "
— Barb, 7/20/2013 -
" Beautifully written but what a depressing read. Unfortunately, there was little redeeming about the protagonist, Lily Bart. I much preferred "Age of Innocence." "
— Kristi, 7/17/2013 -
" Just can't get into Wharton as much as I get into Austen... "
— Jennifer, 7/6/2013 -
" not as soul crushingly depressing as Ethan Frome, but also not as good. Somewhere between "The Age of Innocence" and "Ethan Frome." "
— Tony, 6/28/2013 -
" A difficult book to get through, but the opulence and sense of entitlement seemed completely plausible and fascinating. I was sad that things ended so tragically. "
— Elizabeth, 6/3/2013 -
" For me, this is one of those books that can only be appreciated after reflection. While reading it - I hated it. "
— Samantha, 4/18/2013 -
" A very affecting story told with studied whimsy. A must read. "
— Olivia, 3/18/2013 -
" A classic must read, great writing "
— Bekah, 1/4/2013 -
" Pretty good. I definitely understand Lily's sense of always looking for something, but never being sure of what it is and, thus, not finding it. It's a bit sad. One of those no-wait-if-only-she-would-have-done-this-instead books. "
— Lizzy, 1/2/2013 -
" Classica are classics for a reason. I am amazed how much I missed as a student. "
— Emily, 12/19/2012 -
" Much preferred the Age of Innocence. "
— Emily, 10/18/2012 -
" Got bored...lost interest....what can I say? "
— Kathi, 9/21/2012 -
" Need to read more Wharton--this book was phenomenal. "
— M, 9/4/2012 -
" Hmmm...didn't love this. I appreciate the eloquence of Wharton's diction and the sophistication of her style, but I found it a bit Victorian and tedious, and I knew what would happen at the end of the story from its first page. I think I'm all Whartoned out for a while "
— Lauren, 8/1/2012 -
" Have taught this about 3 times now--Lily Bart inspires polarized reactions, but she dramatizes, for me, the ways that women are enmeshed in society that determines their demise. "
— Erica, 7/30/2012 -
" There is such a thing as too much inevitability. "
— Angela, 7/24/2012 -
" this book made me feel really powerful as a woman. until the end, that is. "
— Bianca, 7/23/2012 -
" Read this about 15 years ago and reread half of it this time. Also saw the movie with Gillian Anderson, Eric Stolz, and Dan Akyroyd. "
— Kay, 7/5/2012 -
" Not nearly so dull as EM Forster, but not a ton better. "
— Adela, 5/8/2012 -
" The movie was great. Liked the book almost as much as Age of Innocence. "
— Kara, 11/12/2011 -
" it was boring long and the end was throughly disapointing. "
— Klymene, 10/31/2011 -
" Finally read me some Wharton. Nice commentary on how difficult to be a woman during that time. I like the title vis a vis the main character and her social whirl. "
— Mandy, 8/4/2011 -
" It sorta grew on me by the end, but getting through it was painful. "
— Ella, 7/23/2011 -
" Not nearly so dull as EM Forster, but not a ton better. "
— Adela, 5/26/2011 -
" Lily Bart is a fascinating character. "
— Jennifer, 5/23/2011 -
" I thought this book was okay. The main character was so wishy washy that I was constantly yelling at her in my head throughout this book. "
— Sara, 5/22/2011 -
" Who doesn't love a book about the lives of the upper class? "
— Shannon, 5/20/2011 -
" Who doesn't love a book about the lives of the upper class? "
— Shannon, 5/20/2011 -
" Holy crap, what a story. And a vocab lesson, in the best possible way. Edith Wharton is one of those authors I categorized in college as being too second wave, but I was wrong, she was her own wave, and Ms. Bart brings it home in a stunning way. "
— Gina, 5/9/2011 -
" it was boring long and the end was throughly disapointing. "
— Klymene, 5/5/2011 -
" MY. FAVORITE. BOOK. EVER. So complicated, yet so simple. I have read this book more than ten times and loved it more each time. Still extremely relevant, as Lily Bart struggles against the limitations on women's choices and refuses to accept compromises until it is too late. Triumphant. "
— Kathleen, 4/22/2011 -
" Loved it! I can't believe it took me until age 32 to read Edith Wharton...Poor Lily. "
— Anne, 4/22/2011 -
" Wharton is just brilliant. I love her individual sentences. <br/><br/>This particular story has a dark bite, but I adored reading it. Although I knew the premise of the story, the way she brings everything about wasn't expected, though felt natural. "
— Sherry, 4/21/2011 -
" Beautifully written but what a depressing read. Unfortunately, there was little redeeming about the protagonist, Lily Bart. I much preferred "Age of Innocence." "
— Kristi, 4/20/2011 -
" For me, this is one of those books that can only be appreciated after reflection. While reading it - I hated it. "
— Samantha, 4/13/2011 -
" Loved it. I think Lily purposely took her life. Life was just too dismal and she didn't see in hope. "
— Caren, 4/13/2011 -
" I loved this story. "
— Katrina, 4/13/2011 -
" For me, this is one of those books that can only be appreciated after reflection. While reading it - I hated it. "
— Samantha, 4/13/2011 -
" Loved it. I think Lily purposely took her life. Life was just too dismal and she didn't see in hope. "
— Caren, 4/13/2011
About Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton (1862–1937) is the author of the novels The Age of Innocence and Old New York, both of which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She was the first woman to receive that honor. In 1929 she was awarded the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction. She was born in New York and is best known for her stories of life among the upper-class society into which she was born. She was educated privately at home and in Europe. In 1894 she began writing fiction, and her novel The House of Mirth established her as a leading writer.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.