The Custom of the Country, Edith Wharton
The Custom of the Country, Edith Wharton
49 Rating(s)
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The Custom of the Country

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Christine Kiphart

Unabridged: 15 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/04/2022

Synopsis

The Spraggs, a wealthy family of Midwesterners, are visiting New York City to marry off their beautiful daughter Undine. While Undine's beauty catches the attention of several high-society men, she finds it difficult to fit in with the old-money social circles that rule New York. When she finally marries Ralph Marvell, she embraces a life full of frivolities, which eventually leads to her tumultuous demise. Best known for inspiring the hit series Downton Abbey, this classic novel is a scathing critique of ambition featuring one of the most ruthless heroines in literature.

About Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937) was an acclaimed American novelist. Known for her use of dramatic irony, she found success early in her career with The House of Mirth, which garnered praise upon its publication. In 1921, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her tour-de-force novel, The Age of Innocence.

About Christine Kiphart

Christine Kiphart is a classically trained singer with a lifetime of experience in storytelling and performance. As a teacher of literature and writing, she enjoys bringing the world of story to children and adolescents and loves exploring the art of narration. She resides with her poet-clown husband and her two terriers in Los Angeles.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Vessey on October 22, 2018

SPOILERS Social gold does not always glitter Edith Wharton did not have a happy life. Nor do her characters. What is happiness anyway, if not merely a part of our lives, something we all pursue, but rarely, if ever, possess in a clean, full form? We are destined to fail. We are imperfect by design. An......more

Goodreads review by Henry on December 10, 2023

Admittedly not the quality of The Age of Innocence, The House of Mirth or Ethan Frome, however another splendid novel by Edith Wharton giving a glimpse into yesteryear ( written in 1913) with all the complications, outdated rules, customs, manners and hypocrisies intact. A spoiled young lady with un......more

Goodreads review by Beth on July 12, 2007

This book is amazing. No one writes like this anymore -- in fact, after I finished this, I had a hard time getting into a more contemporary novel, because the newer book felt so spare and empty compared to Wharton's thoughtful and lovely prose. Certain paragraphs of Custom of the Country made me sto......more

Goodreads review by Sasha on August 12, 2020

Edith Wharton has fixed Henry James, whose essential problem is that he's a pain in the ass. He's smart and all, if that's what you're into, but he's never been known to end a sentence and he has this perverse refusal to write the interesting parts of stories. It's weird, right? It's like if the Dea......more

Goodreads review by Glenn on December 15, 2022

Is Undine Spragg the most odious fictional character ever? I know The Custom of the Country is more than a century old, but Undine Spragg is certainly one of the most despicable characters in all of literature. She uses people. She’s vain. She lies. She’s horribly superficial. She treats her child li......more

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