Edith Wharton

Interminable.

I now know more about Mrs. Wharton than I do about myself. Author Lee is a very fine writer. I would give this book five stars for the precise and sensitive prose, but only one for the under-zealous editing. There is just too much information offered here---too many quotes from Mrs. Wharton's works and too many quotes from the extensive correspondence she maintained with friends. We won't be seeing many more biographies such as this, since letter writing (on notepaper, not the computer) is a lost art. Few people save e-mails forever, and much will be lost to time. In this case, it might have been a good idea to lose some of the material. It's really not necessary to describe every hangnail and cup of tea to make a character as interesting as Edith Wharton come alive.

A MUST read and companion for Wharton lovers

This magnificant piece of work is more than just a biography--it is a beautifully detailed picture of the era, environment and people of Wharton's times. Wharton said that books are not just things, but "people," they are alive. Needless to say my edition is "heavily marked." No Wharton lover should be without their copy of Hermione Lee's gift to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Lee!!!

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