Book Review - The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

4/5 stars

I just picked this book up on a whim because one of my favorite bookstagrammer recommended it. I hadn't read any book by Edith Wharton. I didn't even have the book. I placed an order for the book so I could read it. Yes, her recommendation was that convincing. And boy, the magic that Edith Wharton brought to the plate, was worth it.

"He sat for a long time on the bench in the thickening dusk, his eyes never turning from the balcony. At length a light shone through the windows, and a moment later a man-servant came out on the balcony, drew up the awnings, and closed the shutters.

At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel."

These were the closing lines of the story. I can't explain what weight these ending lines had on me. And, to the story, these lines made all the more impact. It was what bound the story together. It was what made all the difference. It hit me emotionally. It was so clever of the author.

I've never been fond of reading about love triangles. I don't jam well to it. But, this one, Edith Wharton totally tilted my perspective. She casts an eye on society, both sarcastically and affectionately. Now, let us not get carried away by the fact that the main plot of the story revolves around the theme of a love triangle. Nope, it has much more to offer. The depth that this little book has is incomprehensible. This is the story of a man called Newland Archer who is pushed beyond his comfort zone to choose between his Desire and Duty. If you're going to read The Age of Innocence, hold yourself tightly. This isn't an easy romance novel to finish with. It is a tragedy.

"Women ought to be free - as free as we are."

The story was divided into two parts - Book 1 & Book 2. While book 1 was boring, making me think why did I think of reading this book, book 2 was really where Edith Wharton woke me up and grabbed all my attention. The Age of Innocence will continue to be 'An Impossible Love Story' that will resonate with me for a long time.

I didn't the Newland Archer from the very start of the story. His cowardice bothered me, honestly. And then comes the ending. The one I began with. It was one of the most beautiful endings I've ever read.

How ironic is the title of the story! The Age of Innocence was published when Edith Wharton was 60 years old, the age when she had passed all her signs of innocence. Oh, Edith Wharton. If she could know that her story would still ring true almost after hundred years later.

Review Posted: 10 October 2022.