Fast and Loose & The Buccaneers

by Edith Wharton

Contains the first and last novels written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, both with the Whartonesque theme of women trapped by social convention and fateful forces into destructive marriages.

514 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Edith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.

Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.

Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.

Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.

Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.

Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.

Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.

In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.

Reviews

[Javier Dávila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast and Loose, although it's an early novel, has qualities that make it appealing. In particular, the tenacity of a fourteen-year-old girl in successfully maintaining the narrative pace.
Wharton's distinctive style, which would characterize the rest of her work, is evident, as is her moral and psychological insight.
Furthermore, this novella has a certain Gothic flavor that adds to its charm.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Fast and Loose" was Edith Wharton's first novel, started when she was 14 and finished at 15. While she meant to keep it private (it was written for the amusement of a close friend), its publication here with "The Buccaneers" - her final, unfinished novel - gives insight into the major preoccupations of Wharton and her contemporaries. In many ways, Wharton was a fatalist when it came to male-female love relationships, and this collection is no exception, particularly "Fast and Loose;" "The Buccaneers" at least is a bit hopeful, but as the hopefulness comes at the end of the novel (the part that was unfinished) we are never able to see the ending unfold as she would have wanted us to and must only read her synopsis to find out how the story ends. Worth reading if you're an Edith Wharton fan.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and Loose was clearly juvenilia of a talented but undeveloped writer. The Buccaneers was excellent. Had it been completed it surely would have been ranked with Age of Innocence as one of Wharton’s finest. Even incomplete, it is exceptional.

[Sophie Hottinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED the Buccaneers. It might be my favorite by Wharton despite being unfinished. I tried starting with Fast and Loose and quickly got a little bored (she was only 14 or 15 when she wrote it) but now I want to give it another try.

[Thea]

I saw the BBC miniseries on Netflix and loved it. When I found out the story was by Edith Wharton I flipped! I immediately picked it up and started reading it. It's great. The trials and tribulations of marriage at the turn-of-the-century! I am eating it up.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read fast and loose; but it was the only way I could find to get the Buccaneers added to my list, one of my favorite reads.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't find a separate listing for the Buccaneers.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the juxtaposition of these two bookends to her career, but it was sad not to read the final chapters of Buccaneers in her prose.

[Kirsten (lush.lit.life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read the Buccaneers, but I couldn't find a separate listing for it.