Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton's acclaimed novel of love, duty, and half-truths in the sumptuous Golden Age of Old New York society, a time when people "feared scandal more than disease."Newland Archer, an eligible young man from New York is about to announce his engagement to May Welland, a suitable match from a good family, when May's cousin, the beautiful and exotic Countess Ellen Olenska, is introduced into their circle. The Countess brings with her a feeling of European sophistication and a hint of perceived scandal, having left her husband and claimed her freedom. Her worldliness, disregard for society's rules, and air of unapproachability attract the sensitive Newland. Almost against their will, Newland and Ellen develop a passionate bond, and a timeless love triangle takes shape as they find themselves drawn into a heartbreaking and bitter conflict between love and duty. Written in 1920, Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a time and place long gone by, 1870s New York City. It beautifully captures the complexities of passion, independence, fulfillment, and how painfully hard it can be for individuals to truly see one another and their place in the world.