Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Genre: Fiction / Classics / Literary Fiction / Historical Fiction / Romance

Book Review:
''The Age of Innocence'' by Edith Wharton is a Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece and one of the most memorable novels in American literature. Set in the upper-class society of 1870s New York, the novel explores the tyrannical and rigid requirements of high society.

At the heart of the story are three people whose entangled lives are deeply affected by social expectations. Newland Archer, a restrained young attorney, is engaged to the lovely May Welland but falls in love with May's beautiful and unconventional cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska. Despite his fear of a dull marriage, Archer goes through with the ceremony—persuaded by his sense of honor, family, and societal pressures.

Wharton's prose is lucid, penetrating, and richly detailed. Her vivid characterization and rendering of the social history of an era have long made this a favorite with readers and critics alike. If you enjoy classic literature, historical fiction, or stories about love and society, The Age of Innocence is a must-read. Highly recommended!