70. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and glittering contemporary books full of social commentary

Chelsey and Sara discuss The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton*, a glittering Gilded Age classic that feels particularly relevant today. We chat about our experiences rereading one of Wharton’s early novels, how we felt about the divisive character Lily Bart, and our recommendations for contemporary pairings—including one of our favorite essay collections and a coming of age novel set at a boarding school. 

*This episode does include spoilers, so listen carefully for spoiler warnings if you haven’t read The House of Mirth yet.

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Listen to our pairings: [45:58]

 

Books mentioned:

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Chelsey

• The Rogue of Fifth Avenue (Uptown Girls series) by Joanna Shupe (Amazon)
• Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino (Amazon)
• Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (Amazon)

Sara

• The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Amazon)
• The Party Upstairs by Lee Conell (Amazon)
• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (Amazon)

Also mentioned:

The Gilded Age Girls Club series (Duchess by Design #1) by Maya Rodale

The Gossip Girl of Her Time: On the Pleasures of Edith Wharton