The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

Read, reviewed, and released in April, 2009

It was a difficult book to get through; Mrs. Wharton's writing style is very tedious. Of course, she was writing for a much different audience, people who had more time to read, but even so, I enjoy Jane Austen and Charles Dickens more.

Lily Bart first struck me as a spoiled, selfish, heedless, and arrogant young woman. She tried unsuccessfully to keep up with "Society" of 1890s New York City, spending more money than she had to impress the "upper crust." She did show strength of character in that, even though she was accused of sexual immorality, and ostracized because of the rumors, and living in extreme poverty, she never succumbed to it. She made many foolish decisions, which slowly but surely led to her downfall.