Customer Reviews

The Buccaneers (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century)

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Most of us know Edith Wharton either through
reading Ethan Frome in high school, or having
seen The Age of Innocence at the movie
theater. While she is best know for these works
they are dim in tone and portray the oppressive
nature of society.

In The Buccaneers, Wharton presents us with a group
of young women who have been rejected by
late 19th Century NY society, and journey to
England in search of husbands. Each of the
characters in fully drawn, and while Wharton
maintains her description of society as oppressive, she
counters this with the idealism and hope
of her brave young women and societal rules that with time are changing.
These women for the most part strive
to attain happiness, and unlike Wharton's
other principal characters, do acheive it.
This is probably the only Wharton novel
to end on a note of happiness and hope.
Combined with the richly drawn backdrop of 19th
century English & American society, it makes
for an enchanting and provocative read.

Edith Wharton's last novel opens at the height of the racing season in Saratoga, NY, in 1876. Here America's 'nouveau riche' women gather; mothers and daughters who have been shunned by the elite, 'old money' society, scheme to marry their girls into the British aristocracy. Four beautiful young women become fast friends, as they dream and scheme together of potential suitors and titles in far off England. An English woman, unmarried and sophisticated, is hired to instruct the four friends in 'all that is necessary' to be successfully presented into British society. The girls' quest is most certainly not an impossible one. Many eligible, young aristocrats are short of funds necessary to keep up their vast estates. They are more than willing to marry American money, especially when wrapped in a beautiful, charming package, which will allow them to live in the style to which they are accustomed.

The story is told through the eyes, and from the hearts, of these young debutantes - wide-eyed, innocent and full of fun and American energy. Their longed-for entry into English society, and their subsequent marriages, joys and disappointments, as well as their strong, never waning, friendship for each other, is chronicled here with fascinating detail. The world of their childish fantasies is not the world of reality, as romance fades and financial worries, marital infidelities and lost love take the place of past dreams. They each struggle with the conflict between individual and social fulfillment, repressed sexuality, and the manners and mores of Britain's 'old families.' They discover secrets that were kept from them during courtship - intrigues, and hidden, devastating character flaws in their matrimonial choices.

Edith Wharton's descriptions of the wonderful American and British settings - the gorgeous countryside, great homes and extravagant furnishings, lavish clothing and courtship rites are remarkable. Each of the four young women have much in common, although their characters are quite different. Part of the glory of this novel is Wharton's development of her characters and their growth, as the young women mature with time and experience. The lesser characters are vividly drawn and complex. Her portrayal of the conflict between the American old society and the immense wealth of the newly rich robber barons and their socially ambitious wives, is an accurate and compelling glimpse of our past.

I know that Edith Wharton died before completing this extraordinary novel. I could wish, along with thousands of others, I am sure, that she had been allowed to live long enough to complete this masterpiece. However, Marion Mainwaring's conclusion does not diminish my immense enjoyment of the book in the least.

It's an unfortunate fact that any prolific author is going to leave a half-finished book behind them. And when Edith Wharton died in 1937, she left a partly-finished novel, "The Buccaneers," which was later finished by Marion Mainwaring. Unfortunately, Mainwaring couldn't equal Wharton's style, and the resulting book is a bit too rough to be excellent.

The St. George family is wealthy and cultured, but since they are "new money," haughty Virginia and childlike, passionate Nan are excluded from New York society. Nan's governess offers an alternative: the girls and three other snubbed debutantes will spend a season in England, where the newness of their money won't matter. The girls all jump at the opportunity (especially with handsome young aristos running around).

England's aristocracy greets them with both suspicion and delight: Most people love the honest, innocent attitude of the American girls. But when Virginia becomes engaged to a mild-mannered aristocrat, some people see the Americans as "stealing" eligible Englishmen. Meanwhile, Nan has fallen in love with an impoverished aristocrat, but she has some growing up to do first...

Okay, nobody expected Wharton's manuscript to simply sit there, unfinished. It's not very satisfying, for one thing. But "The Buccaneers" doesn't quite work as a Wharton novel. Don't worry, it's a fun read with glimmers of Wharton's wit and societal observation. She just took the story across the pond to England.

The problem is that Marion Mainwaring doesn't write like Wharton. She writes like someone TRYING to write like Wharton, and so her style and characterizations seem very exaggerated at times. Fortunately she only wrote about thirty percent of the book (based on Wharton's original synopsis) and so most of the book has Wharton's flavor.

Not that the Wharton sections are quite perfect either -- since the book was unfinished, some parts of it have a "second draft" feel. And her sharp observations feel dulled here. But it accurately captures Wharton's preoccupation with Victorian propriety, manners, and the delicate social structure around old New York. Not to mention a dash of Henry James, with the stories of American innocents abroad.

The concept of new vs. old money was a big deal in the 1870s, especially since it eventually overturned the old social order. Wharton populated her novel with wide-eyed (and sometimes loudmouthed) American girls, and impoverished young dukes and earls who are trying to keep the crumbling old estates going. Wharton also spiced up the cast with flamboyant mistresses, amnesiac noblemen, and a prim governess who happens to be the cousin of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Edith Wharton left a promising book behind her when she died, and fortunately "The Buccaneers" was given passable treatment by Marion Mainwaring. It's too rough to be among Wharton's best, but this flawed novel is still a fun read.

Unfinished at the time of Edith Wharton's death in 1937, The Buccaneers was later completed by Marian Mainwaring and published in 1993. Set in the late nineteenth century, it is a story in which newly rich American girls go to London for "the season" and to find husbands. Like the novels of Henry James, one of Wharton's friends, it stresses the contrast between the values of new American society and those of the long-established society of Europe, setting the bright enthusiasms of the Americans against the ritualized behaviors of upperclass Londoners, the freedoms of the Americans against the social and familial obligations of the Europeans.

The daughters of the St. George and Elmsworth families have been snubbed by New York society for the newness of their wealth, and when their friend Conchita Closson marries a member of the British nobility, they follow her to England, intending to participate in "the season" and perhaps find husbands of their own. Though the older girls sometimes compete for the same suitors and are preoccupied with the superficialities of society, the youngest St. George sister, Nan, still retains her carefree spirit, her innocence, and her zest for life.

Wharton completed about three-fifths of the novel before her death, leaving a plot outline for the remainder of the novel. More melodramatic than most of her other novels, The Buccaneers is filled with domestic intrigues, as straightforward but remarkably naïve American heiresses are wooed by faithless suitors who need funds to support their traditional lifestyles. Nan's courtship and marriage become the emotional and dramatic focus of the last part of the novel.

The point at which Mainwaring begins writing is obvious. Though she follows the plot summary which Wharton left behind, her language is less elegant and less formal, her emphasis on the sexual aspects of the relationships more blatant. Marriage, when viewed by the participants as a social responsibility, rather than as a free, romantic choice, leads to the opportunistic marriages we see here, with one partner gaining at the expense of the other. Women take lovers, withhold sexual favors from their husbands--and talk about everyone else who does what they are doing. Trapped in stultifying relationships, they gain social acceptance at the expense of their freedom and happiness. The ending, filled with ironies, is unique among Wharton's novels, feeling more like a Gothic romance than Wharton's usual social commentary. n Mary Whipple

The first two-thirds of THE BUCCANEERS is brilliant, Wharton's at the top of her form -- hilarious, penetrating, exciting, effortless. Before reading, I didn't know and didn't want to inform myself precisely where the original material ended; I wanted to perpetuate the hope that there could be another great Wharton novel I hadn't read. But the book dies after chapter 29. It's like falling off a cliff. You have to be pretty insensible not to feel it yourself, and it's tremendously disappointing. I couldn't read more than a few pages of the added material, and then quit out of loyalty. Still, the Wharton first draft is a kick to read -- if for no other reason, for instance, than to see what a perfect first chapter looks like.

I was skeptical about reading this book, since it was not complete by Edith Wharton. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Marion Mainwaring did a wonderful job of completing the novel. I was unable to tell where Edith's writing stopped and Marion's began. (The afterword describes exactly what Marion added.) -very fun book to read. I finished it in just a few days.

I first learned of this story from the 1995 miniseries, which I loved. In reading the book it was immediately apparent that the miniseries was quite different in some respects from the original, unfinished text. However, this is not a problem. The novel articulates beautifully the feeling of being always an outsider in one's adopted country and adds several perspectives that are not present in the tv adaptation. Set in the late 1800s, a quartet of American girls, overlooked by the fashionable New York set, seek their matrimonial fortunes in England. Each of our protagonists is unique: from Nan, the dreamy romantic upon who the plot rests and her goddess-like sister Virginia, to the impetuous Connie and the shrewd, savvy and practical Elmswood sisters Lizzie and Mabel. This is not a story without drama and pain, nor do I find it as depressing a tale as many of Wharton's other novels -- thinking particularly about "Life of Mirth". I personally attribute this cautious optimism to Marion Mainwaring who pulled the original unfinished novel together. The story remains one that, for me, is eminently re-readable and thought provoking. It is equal parts society scandal and personal meditation -- a mix that works wonderfully.

One of Wharton's best constructed and written novels, it is a shame that she was unable to complete it. This version, which was completed from Wharton's notes, sadly lacks the spirit and intensity of the author once Mainwaring takes up the tale. The book begins as an involving novel but ends in vignettes showing action, lacking the commentary, sensitivity, and psychological intuitiveness that Wharton brings to her completed portions of the novel. A great pity to lose Wharton's genius before this novel saw publication.

This book was just something i grabbed of the shelf as i ran out of the library before going on holiday, i never thought for one moment what this book was but then as i began to read it i discovered what a fabulous and entertaining book it was. It took me a while to get in to it but as the story moved to England i enjoyed it more and could not put it down. I found it interesting to compare the attitudes of people in America and England and now i have just started to read another Wharton novel.

For those who believe the Mainwaring version is too "boring", read the Angela Mackworth-Young version which incorporates marital rape, homosexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, suicide and an 1870s style catfight into a plot designed to hold the attention of an audience who relishes trashy paperback romance novels and watches re-runs of The Jerry Springer Show. Mackworth-Young's version is based upon the Maggie Wadey's screenplay which was made into a series for the BBC in 1995. Wadey's BBC series was roundly criticized at the time for "sensationalism" by the Times of London and by the then-deputy director of the Edith Wharton Restoration program.

After reading both versions, I have to say Mainwaring's is more in the spirit of Edith Wharton both in style and substance. But for the Jerry Springer crowd, there's always the Mackworth-Young and Wadey version to be devoured like any other piece of literary junk food.