One of those books that can be read and enjoyed by readers with a variety of interests and perspectives: family dynamics, women's issues, life in New York's so-called "Golden Age," the lives of the rich and titled, the conflict between individuals and the conventions of society, and so on. It's also a good story, and the more important characters reveal their individual natures gradually, like Salome with her veils.
As in real life, the reader never gets behind the final veil, though. The author seems to respect the idea that we can never know another human being completely, and leaves her audience with a sense of wonder and a longing to know more.This novel reminded me somewhat of themes from The Portrait of a Lady and Anna Karenina. My only complaint about this story was that sometimes the details of family connections, societal expectations, details of dress and dinner parties etc became tedious to read. The author could've painter in broader strokes and the reader would've understood the point without being bogged down in details. Newland Archer faces life with May who is exactly the sort of wife high society expects him to marry. Or he could break with everything he's been taught and run off with her cousin Ellen who represents unconventionality and everything society represses. In a brief afterward we learn what he chooses and I actually liked this ending. It leaves the reader to ponder if he made the right choice, his motives for his decision, and though this is set in a very different era the message is still very real. Do we conform or do we dare? Are we in love with the person/thing or just the idea of it?
No comments:
Post a Comment