"The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton
Published by Everyman's Library - 1993
Classic
A bizarre tale about a well-to-do young American man from an important family. The opening of the story sees Newland Archer happily announcing his engagement to the likewise well-to-do May Welland. In New York's 1870's society, these two great families will be joined by this marriage which everyone approves of.
What starts as a straight forward engagement between two people who have found common friendship and companionship, turns to a tale of bitterness and regret. Newland returns to his annoying behaviour as a bachelor when he begins to doubt his devotion to his wife and sees his marriage as a dull reality and a trapped prison. He becomes frustrating throughout this story as he lusts after May's cousin, the quirky and unconventional Countess Olenska. What is more frustrating is how he believes that everything will be better with Olenska; the grass is always greener on the other side, springs to mind!
At the end of the story, I found small comfort as we are informed that Newland remained loyal and faithful to May in all their years of marriage. It seems their marriage was one of acceptance and tolerance and that they never truly or fully knew the other person. May seems to have understood her husband better than he knew himself. However, the upsetting thing is, she also doesn't seem so blind or innocent to the reality of life as he thought.
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