Status Updates From The House of Mirth

Ok so Lily Barts mother died of Old Age at 44 because her husband went from Mega to Sort of Rich shortly before his death and she had to go to Europe to economize with the other Upper Class Widows…a picture of why Lily is like this is forming

the context of her having written way more before publishing her first book (which was this) is so evident. 24 pages in, Lily Bart is already an icon for me. she's so layered in her thinking or answering; a byproduct of her surroundings. i can't believe i'm saying this, wharton's more inviting and intriguing than proust 😭 i may have to dnf my boy because it's gettting to a point

She’s just a girl in a world where her one job is to marry rich… or else how can she afford her little treats… what a punishment it is to be a woman, her words not mine…

the intro pages. i feel bad as i asked kate whether this or age of innocence, she picked the latter and i was about to get to it, to realise it was released very late in her career; having just got this yesterday, this was her earliest and i'd love to know how far she came. from the intro alone, i just wanna hug young Edith as her parents seem insufferable and terrible.