Newer authoritative reprint of 1921 Pulitzer Prize winner (I didn't know about the Pulitzer for Edith Wharton!)
Portrait of desire and betrayal in Old New York....characters become real - their hearts, souls and yearnings - and the price they pay. (back cover)

(made into a movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder)

I received this book in the mail from fellow BookCrosser JDT in California. It has been on my reading list for quite a while now; I look forward to a leisurely reading.

Newland Archer is engaged to marry the lovely May Welland when her scandalous cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, returns home. Newland finds himself smitten with Ellen but they both avoid their attraction to one another by abiding by the strict rules of New York high society of the 1870s.

I had thought this novel would be as stuffy as the times in which the characters lived, so I was delightfully surprised to discover that it was very conversational in tone and easy to read.

Thank you, JDT. This did indeed turn out to be a very leisurely read!

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