As you know, I always like to have a couple of audiobooks on my iPod to help get me through my daily exercise routine. I’ve been listening to Librivox titles a lot recently because they’re free and they give me a chance to revisit books I haven’t read in more than 10 years. I just finished listening to The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, and here’s what I thought about it.
The novel, written in 1920 but taking place in the 1870’s, focuses on a young man named Newland Archer. Archer is a member of New York society, which basically means two things: he’s very wealthy and he’s bound by very strict rules and conventions that govern his every move. At the beginning of the novel, Archer accepts these conventions and even welcomes them. After all, what would happen to society if everyone just did as they pleased?
His outlook slowly begins to change after he comes into contact with Ellen Olenska, the cousin of his fiancée May Welland. Madame Olenska was born in the United States and was childhood friends with many members of the upper class (including Archer himself), but after her parents died, she was whisked away to Europe where she naturally adopted foreign customs, beliefs, and attitudes.
She married over there, but her husband treated her abominably, so she escaped from him with the help of his secretary. Ever since then, tongues have been wagging about her so her appearance in the Mingotts’ box at the opera immediately causes the rumor mill to start churning. Based on what he’s heard, Archer doesn’t agree with Madame Olenska’s conduct, but he decides to publicly support her because she’s a member of the family.
As the novel progresses, Archer is thrown into Madame Olenska’s company for professional reasons. He’s a lawyer, and Madame Olenska has retained his firm to help her get a divorce from her husband. As Archer tries to talk her out of such a scandalous move, he finds himself falling in love with her. The feeling is mutual, but the two hold themselves back for various reasons and never do more than steal a few kisses and caresses.
The remainder of the novel deals with Archer’s internal struggles as he tries to decide whether to give up everything for the woman he loves or to resign himself to a wholly predictable, boring life with May.
As I said, I was already familiar with The Age of Innocence before listening to the audiobook. But I had forgotten just how much I like Edith Wharton’s writing style and how interesting this book is on so many different levels. One thing I appreciated in particular was the way Wharton explained the ramifications of the characters’ actions because I never would have understood the significance otherwise. It’s as though Wharton realized that 100 years after publication no one would remember what New York society was like back then, so she took the time to explain exactly why Ellen’s actions were so scandalous.
Moreover, I have to say that this was, hands down, THE BEST Librivox recording I have ever listened to! The whole thing was recorded by a single reader named Brenda Dayne, and what a world of difference that made. Brenda’s voice, pitch, pace, and diction were PERFECT and increased my enjoyment of this fantastic novel a hundredfold.
I give the Librivox recording of The Age of Innocence 10 stars out of 10 and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great book to listen to!