In today’s episode, we’re wrapping up Wharton in Winter with a conversation about The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. We focus on Undine and question whether she’s a signature unlikable heroine or an anti-hero. Our conversation also digs into the other dynamic characters, themes of motherhood, greed, marriage, business, and Edith’s incredible writing. Every plot point builds to a bigger narrative in this timely classic. At the end of the episode, we share our complementary pairings , and we hope you add one to your TBR pile!
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Shows Mentioned:
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Selling Sunset
Downton Abbey
Books Mentioned:
Italo Calvino
Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
There Is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset
Emma by Jane Austen
Free Food For Millionares by Min Jun Lee
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz
One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
Wahala by Nikki May
Trust by Hernan Diaz
74. The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor and stories of friendship, community, and resilience
73. Greek mythology-inspired novels to topple your To Be Read list
72. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and contemporary novels with plenty of drama
Storybound with Laurie Frankel
71. Superlatives for the best books of 2021 so far
70. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and glittering contemporary books full of social commentary
69. A short story to read in one sitting this summer: The Prairie Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
68. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson and contemplative books for moody summer reading
67. Sweeping family sagas for classic and contemporary reading tastes
66. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Part Two
65. Classic novels to read with your book club and tips for getting more out of book club discussions
64. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Part One
63. Brand new summer books and backlist pairings to topple your TBR
62. Quarterly Favorites: page-turning reads and reflections on Spring 2021
61. The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, plus books about complicated families, romance, and boundaries
60. Backlist coming of age novels for book clubs and beach reads
59. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, coming of age stories, and sweeping historical fiction
58. Grounded and inventive speculative fiction recommendations for your TBR
57. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and science fiction stories for literary fiction lovers
56. Speech Sounds by Octavia Butler, a short story club discussion
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