Customer Reviews

The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed reading this biography about an author I didn't know much about. According to the book, Wharton defied convention to become "the most accomplished and admired American writer of her day." Before reading this biography, I had only heard of a couple of Warton's titles and hadn't realized just how much she had written--and this book has definitely inspired me to check out some of her lessor known works.

Though the book is intended for a middle/high school audience, it was definitely interesting enough for an adult to read. The beginning of the book, which talks about her childhood, seemed almost geared for an upper elementary audience--it is written rather childlike. As the book progresses to her adult life, the writing becomes more sophisticated and the story more complex. My only criticism is that the middle of the book dragged a bit (for me) when the book focused more on Wharton's relationships with her many bachelor friends and travels. I hadn't even realized Wharton was writing during these period until suddenly it's mentioned that Wharton was on her 20th book or something.

Anyway, that small detail does not keep me from recommending this well-written book about an interesting woman and author. This would be a great addition to a high school or junior college library.

I count Edith Wharton as one of my favorite authors and one of America's preeminent writers of the 20th century. Though this book is targeted towards children, I was surprised to see how honest and open it was concerning Wharton's life--from her cold childhood, to her unhappy marriage, and beyond--and find it a welcome companion to Hermione Lee's 2007 biography, Edith Wharton (Vintage). This incredibly rich and detailed biography and is the perfect introduction to this very talented novelist. In fact, I foresee that Wooldridge's easy style will make young adults curious to read Wharton's fiction, for this biography details her influences and passions whilst writing her much-beloved works such as The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton is Well worth its price and is superb reading material for both adults and children.

Just like another reviewer, I didn't realize that this book was intended for adolescents until after I received it. But nonetheless, I found the book very interesting while being informative. Additionally there are many great pictures throughout the pages. One of the things that I really enjoyed reading about was the Mount, which was a mansion that Edith and her then husband had built in Lenox Massachusetts to live there a few months of the year. I enjoyed reading about the Mount since I had recently been there and toured its spacious rooms and lovely grounds. It was also interesting to read about her life in France, as she spent time in her residences in both Paris and Provence. She also loved to travel throughout Europe.

It's interesting to note that Edith's parents were members of the prominent New York Jones family that inspired the old saying "Keeping up with the Joneses". Although Edith Wharton may be best known as the prestigious Pulitzer Prize winning author of "The Age of Innocence" making Edith the first woman to achieve such an honor, many people may not know that she volunteered her time and energy in creating and running different charities during World War I, and because of this, she received Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France's highest and most distinguished award. Another book that I recommend (for adults) is an autobiography by Edith Wharton called "A Backward Glance". While I found her autobiography enjoyable to read, it's not as revealing as this book. As a matter of fact, this book sheds light on some issues that were not too clear on her autobiography.

Edith was married for many years to Ted Wharton, he started as a fun loving sociable guy but as the years went by he seemed to be more and more mentally unstable, she tried to make her marriage work but at the end they finally divorced. It's obvious in both books that Edith extremely enjoyed the company of male friends, even when she was still married, traveling with them at times, had many male friends including the famous writer Henry James, she even had a special room set up for him at the Mount whenever he would stay there. An interesting look at the wealthy of a bygone era.

"The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton" is a well-researched and entertaining biography that would be suitable for young adults and up.

Using letters, diaries and photographs, Wooldridge tells the life story of author Edith Wharton ("Ethan Frome," "The Age of Innocence") without hiding the human frailties of her subject. Wharton's affairs, less-than-desirable marriage, etc., are discussed without too much prurient detail.

Wharton came from the same type of high society families she mocks in much of her writing, and "The Brave Escape" talks about her desire to break free of the strictures placed on her by the mores and expectations of her era. At the same time, she was very conventional in some of her thinking, and the conflict between those aspects of her personality is illustrated well by this book.

Some of the most interesting parts of the book discuss Wharton's charity work in Paris during World War I. I was unaware of her extensive work to help unemployed seamstresses and refugees during the period.

(Review based on uncorrected advance proof.)

Edith Wharton is a fascinating American character, and "The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton" does a terrific job of describing why. It places her in the times in which she lived, as a really good biography must do, and American life in the upper social set at the turn of the (last) century, those late 19th and early 20th century years in old New York, the ritzy Atlantic coast summer homes, and abroad in France, really comes to life.

Her "brave escape" was her career as a novelist, a profession almost completely limited to men at the time, and her independent lifestyle in which she chose to distance herself from the vain and vapid socializing and customs of the upper crust, high society circles into which she was born.

I must confess that at age 53 I thoroughly enjoyed this "juvenile nonfiction." I felt comfortable with the language and never felt as if the author were talking down to her youthful target audience. There is something about nonfiction written for kids--it's not stuffy and it's understandable, it works with the reader instead of trying to impress, and it's not afraid to tell a good story. Writers of adult non-fiction, take note!

I think the best use of this book in schools would be in concert with the reading of one of Wharton's great novels, my personal favorite being "The Age of Innocence," which I learned from this book won Wharton the Pulitzer prize and made her the first woman ever to receive that award.

Recommendation: Two thumbs way up.

This is a fabulous biography aimed towards young teens or pre-teens that gives a short but comprehensive history of the life of famous American author, Edith Wharton. The text covers her life from birth to death and is intelligently written. Best of all, perhaps, are the lovely photos from Wharton's life that are interspresed in the text....they really do enhance this biography! While sanitized, Wharton's life certainly isn't censored in any way....her unhappy marriage and subsequent extramartial affair are dealt with honestly and succinctly. Each book publication of her astounding career is put into context here.

This bio would be a great, great gift (espcially if coupled with one of Wharton's novels or novellas, such as Ethan Frome) for a young teen.....you'd be creating a Wharton fan for life with this!

After reading this biography, I downloaded a copy of Ethan Frome on my Kindle because I find Edith Wharton so fascinating, I have to read one of her novels. This is a concise but thorough biography of her life. I admit that I know nothing about her so I can't vouch for the author's accuracy in her facts but her bibliography covers everything from Edith's own works to other biographies to several archives so I trust that the subject was well researched. I believe this book's intended audience is middle school age to high school age students but this would be a good introduction to anyone who knows nothing about Edith Wharton (like me) and would like a quick read as an introduction. Like many women writers, she was a trailblazer and a great example of a determined woman who challenged society's expectations to make a name for herself. Not only was Edith Wharton a socialite and involved in charitable organizations during the Great War but she was a prolific writer. She was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Her achievements are admirable, the fact that she was different made her great and her flaws made her human. All in all, a great woman, and a great biography that I would recommend.

Bought this for an adult (English Professor). It will be as informative for him as it will be for a 14 year old.

I didn't realize that this book was aimed for a younger audience perhaps middle and high school regarding the life of Edith Wharton. While Wharton was one of the most successful female American writers of her generation, the author does not forget her personal problems and her series of relationships. She doesn't go into great detail about specifics because that wasn't proper nor does the author have that kind of access.

Edith Wharton began her life as a daughter of privileged who was expected to marry in her class where breeding, wealth, and social status was everything in her world. She traveled to Europe where she would later live her remaining years. The author covers her charitable services during World War I in France.

The author doesn't detail much of her life but the author does make notes of Wharton's relationship with her husband, Teddy, and she does address adultery but does not detail the accounts. This book is suitable for the high school library and it's audience. I would have preferred more depth, analysis, and exploration but this is not that kind of book. This book will be interesting for those students who are doing reports or research on Edith Wharton.

Gracefully written, meticulously researched, intended for YA but in sufficient depth to inform and fascinate adults, this biography of Edith Wharton is a superb introduction to this very significant author, both to her works and to the era in which she lived and wrote. 5 stars indeed! (I wish I could give it more.)