Gertie MacDowell reviewed The custom of the country by Edith Wharton
Lifestyles of the wannabe rich and famous
4 stars
This was an interesting book from the standpoint of social conventions in upper crust society at the turn of the 20th century. Undine Spragg is very much the antihero leaving a trail of destruction in her wake as she crawls up the social ladder marriage by marriage. One wonders whether Meghan Markle should have read it before becoming entangled in the British royal family given the subject matter.
It's a bit hard to relate to so much of the novel partly because it's over a hundred years old, but also because I am not of the New York elite and therefore unfamiliar, even baffled by some of the social aspects of the story. Having to have your mother respond first before you can seems bizarre and so when Undine breaks some of these rules, it is difficult to appreciate the effect it should have on the reader.
One of the …
This was an interesting book from the standpoint of social conventions in upper crust society at the turn of the 20th century. Undine Spragg is very much the antihero leaving a trail of destruction in her wake as she crawls up the social ladder marriage by marriage. One wonders whether Meghan Markle should have read it before becoming entangled in the British royal family given the subject matter.
It's a bit hard to relate to so much of the novel partly because it's over a hundred years old, but also because I am not of the New York elite and therefore unfamiliar, even baffled by some of the social aspects of the story. Having to have your mother respond first before you can seems bizarre and so when Undine breaks some of these rules, it is difficult to appreciate the effect it should have on the reader.
One of the main thrusts of the story is that then, as now, money is seen as a cure for all ailments, real and psychological. Undine's constant need for more coupled with the limitations she comes up against make for a relevant argument against rampant consumerism. A somewhat novelty at the time, it remains a potent point today, and it isn't hard to read between the lines as Wharton skewers beliefs and actions she saw as vulgar and reflecting the emptiness of the people involved.
Rather straight and to the point, Wharton's writing style reflects the serialised nature of the book as it was first published but it never wearies the reader.
Overall, 'The Custom of the Country' is worth a read and it's prompted me to add more Wharton books to the reading list.