By Edith Wharton
This book has so many phrasing gems! I wish I had a pack of sticky notes by my bed, so I could mark them as I read -- they are difficult to find otherwise. As for the story, it really is a tragedy. What happens when you're raised to be the one thing you don't really want to be, but you can't be anything else?
It is the story of Lily Bart, but also a critical look at society. The title of the book is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes, "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." Born to an "old money" family who loses its wealth, her only options are to either find a rich husband or inherit from an old aunt. Though beautiful and successful in attracting rich men, Lily keeps sabotaging her own efforts due to an inner conflict buried in the depths of her consciousness; by doing so, she also brings about her disownment. Spoiler alert: the end, as I mentioned earlier, is tragic. [350 pp. incl. Afterward]
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