I’m a huge fan of Downton Abbey. Julian Fellowes, its creator, has cited this month’s LWD Book Club selection, The Custom of the Country as an inspiration for his hugely popular series. That alone is reason enough for me to choose it for our February read.
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The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
Last month we had a non-fiction book club selection, One Year to an Organized Life. So I thought we’d go with fiction for February.
Wharton’s sly and delicious novel about the ambitious social ascent of Undine Spragg
Considered by many to be her masterpiece, Edith Wharton’s second full-length work is a scathing yet personal examination of the exploits and follies of the modern upper class. As she unfolds the story of Undine Spragg, from New York to Europe, Wharton affords us a detailed glimpse of what might be called the interior décor of this America and its nouveau riche fringes. Through a heroine who is as vain, spoiled, and selfish as she is irresistibly fascinating, and through a most intricate and satisfying plot that follows Undine’s marriages and affairs, she conveys a vision of social behavior that is both supremely informed and supremely disenchanted.
I was inspired to read “The Custom of the Country” by this article:
“The Future Belonged to the Showy and the Promiscuous.” How Edith Wharton Foresaw the 21st Century
WHAT ARE YOU READING LATELY?
Other LWD Book Club Selections:
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