Hudson River Bracketed

so-so

Wharton inserts a natural writer raised in the vacuous suburbs, without any foundational literature, in an abandoned grand house with a fabulous library, adds a sort of sprite-muse…and then tries to make a plot out of it. Materialism and unhappiness are her themes. But so is the mind of the writer and publishing world and… well, too much more. It all comes to, I guess, a sequel… which we haven‘t read yet. #whartonbuddyread

Lcsmcat

BarbaraBB Beautiful photo 😍 2mo

Lcsmcat Love that staircase! And you‘re right - W tried to cram a lot into one short novel. 2mo

Graywacke @BarbaraBB @Lcsmcat the staircase is from the Oliver Bronson House in Hudson, NY. It is a long abandoned, lost and rediscovered example of the Hudson River Bracketed style. Built in 1811, and heavily reworked in the mid 19th century. It rest on the property of a correctional facility! 2mo

BarbaraBB Wow that‘s an interesting story! 2mo

Lcsmcat Wow! That‘s some correctional facility!! 2mo

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Lcsmcat

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

pick

Though the title refers to this style of architecture, the book is about much bigger themes - creation, continuity of culture, rampant capitalism, sham spirituality, and, of course, unhappy marriages. (It is Wharton after all.) I thought the ending abrupt, but then learned that there‘s a sequel, so I‘m withholding final judgement until I‘ve read it. Thanks @Graywacke and all the #whartonbuddyread crew. We‘re almost through her novels!

Graywacke So many themes in one book. Great review 3mo

CarolynM Great review. It‘s a pick for me too. Looking forward to getting started the sequel straightaway and catching up with the buddy readers🙂 1mo

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Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hudson River Bracketed - Books 6 & 7 (the end)
#whartonbuddyread

(Unsure of what image to use, I found Caris Corfman, who played Halo in 1987 in a TV movie: Songs from the Heart: Edith Wharton)

A lot of up and down in Book 6. Then just down in Book 7. I thought it might be nice to reflect on Laura Lou, but the book quickly carries on. And the concludes with a lovely final sentence. But.. there‘s a sequel!

So, where did we all land with this?

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts 3mo

Graywacke @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @Daisey @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie 3mo

Graywacke @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 3mo

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Graywacke The sequel, published 3 years later in 1932, and including Halo, is:

The Gods Arrive

3mo

Graywacke The final line - which is gorgeous: ... And when at last he drew her arm through his and walked beside her in the darkness to the corner where she had left her motor, he wondered if at crucial moments the same veil of unreality would always fall between himself and the soul nearest him, if the creator of imaginary beings must always feel alone among the real ones. 3mo

Lcsmcat That final line gave me goosebumps! Was that how Wharton felt? 3mo

Lcsmcat Maybe we have to wait for the sequel to know, but how did everyone feel about Halo‘s reaction when sh learned of LauraLou‘s death? I was a bit taken aback. 3mo

Lcsmcat Some other things I highlighted besides that last sentence: “His [Tarrant‘s] restless vanity could never find sufficient pasturage,” and “All this Halo marked with the lucid second sight of married experience.” 3mo

Lcsmcat “Usually he required twenty-four hours to recover after he had given somebody hell—and here was his own wife, who knew better than anyone else how sensitive he was, how heavily he had to pay for every nervous strain, and who was ruthlessly forcing him into a second scene before he had recovered from the first!” 3mo

Lcsmcat Re: the grandmother “The fraud was there, it was only farther back, in the national tolerance of ignorance, the sentimental plausibility, the rush for immediate results, the get-rich-quick system applied to the spiritual life….” 3mo

Lcsmcat And about the doctor (because it made me chuckle) “He had a poor sort of face, not made for emotional emergencies, and seemed to know it.” 3mo

Currey @Lcsmcat I was also surprised at Halo‘s reaction although we know her to be a sensitive soul. 3mo

Lcsmcat @Currey I was surprised because she seemed more like the death upset her plans to renew her friendship with Vance. Maybe it was just being upset about the death. We‘ll have to see what the next volume brings! 3mo

Currey @Graywacke @Lcsmcat The final sentence brought into focus for me why exactly Wharton wanted to spend so long with these characters. She often has given us unlikeable people in her books but they always served some clarity of purpose that I could understand. In this book I felt I was missing that through much of the book. I felt particularly bad that when LauraLou passed away, part of my reaction was: Finally! 3mo

Lcsmcat @Currey My reaction too! Which is why Halo‘s tears didn‘t make sense to me. 3mo

Currey @Graywacke @Lcsmcat. I also have to admit that although I am still loving Wharton‘s writing, I am not looking forward to the sequel. 3mo

arubabookwoman @Curry I also felt throughout this book there was a lack of clarity to the characters. As I read the end, I thought it was rushed and a cop-out, but now that I know there is a sequel, it makes more sense. That being said, this was one of my least favorite Wharton's, though I will read the sequel. I thought Wharton tried to cover an enormous amount: the artistic/creative process, unhappy/unequal marriages, the publishing industry👇🏻👇🏻 3mo

arubabookwoman the evangelical/populist/religious movements sweeping the country at that time, and more. Despite such a broad range of themes I thought it became repetitious at times and it sometimes dragged for me. Even though, as always her prose is gorgeous, as I said, not one of my favorites. 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @currey - the last line - I think she did feel that way at times, although she was not a loner. She seemed to like to be the center of attention in RL. Embedded in the line is a comparison between creators - the author as a god. She may have felt that way too. 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @currey - when Halo shows up at the end, unaware, I was first confused. How would she not know? And second realized Wharton doesn‘t have narrative space or momentum for a proper response from Halo. The entire book has been building towards them getting together. This is success. LL and LT have been disposed of. How can Halo be sincere here, narratively? Anyway, she did enough for (😁). I‘m ready to move on too. 👇 3mo

Graywacke 👆But i liked Laura Lou. She stayed true to character, true to herself. Her tragedy would have made a good end to the book. Vance and Halo‘s book could have become hers if Wharton had ended there. Then we‘re rethinking the whole book in LL‘s perspective. But once Halo shows up again, LL reverts back to a narrative diversion 3mo

Graywacke @arubabookwoman goodness, I‘m sorry this one beat you up so much. I feel like Wharton hadn‘t done much with the last two books. Words were churning, but the spark underneath was a little ho-hum. There were real sparks here - the sunrises, Halo‘s youth and service as muse, the insights into the writer‘s mind. But it also drags. A lot of unsatisfying parts too. 3mo

Graywacke @Currey will you carry on to the sequel? 3mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Laura Lou and Vance both annoyed me for the same reason - they each expected the other to be someone different from who they were. But unhappy marriage is a theme we‘ve seen over and over again in Wharton, so I‘m not surprised. 3mo

Sparklemn @graywacke You can take me off the group thread. I wish I'd focused more on my reading but just got really behind. Enjoy the book & discussion! 😊 3mo

AllDebooks I've just finished and yes, that last line was a real gut punch. I enjoyed all the themes, particularly the literary/writer ones. However, it did feel like Wharton was cramming too much content into the story. I think the grandmothers evangelical plot could be edited out. This would add to coherence around the artist/authorship plot. 3mo

AllDebooks This played out in my head as a black and white Jimmy Stewart movie, esp. everytime 'See here' was said. 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat i kept wanting Vance and LL to work out. But i guess it was never going to be happy. Happier than Halo‘s marriage 3mo

Graywacke @Sparklemn no problem 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks that‘s funny about the way they talk. You might be right, too much. But surely Wharton knew, by this point, how to judge that… right? 😕 3mo

AllDebooks @Graywacke You're right. I just think she had so much to say, she got carried away. The evangelism would have worked better as a theme in another novel imo. I got bored reading that section as I was invested in V, LL, & H and the literary themes. 3mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I‘m not sure ranking unhappiness is something I am competent at, but all four characters seemed incredibly lonely in their respective marriages. 3mo

Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @Graywacke I feel like the book needed the grandmother and her evangelism. I‘m going to have trouble articulating why, but here goes. Growing up V knew the shallowness of his parents‘ values and that they didn‘t feed his soul. He didn‘t understand his grandparents but got something there, to the point of trying to invent his own religion. Then grandfather‘s behavior takes the comfort of the place away, and his exposure to history 👇🏻 3mo

Lcsmcat 👆🏻philosophy and broader ideas shows him his “invented” religion was a sham and Halo exposes his writing as weak. So all the supports are knocked out from under him. He has gotten to a place just so far, but has exchanged one illusion for another. When those two worlds collide, he is faced with the evidence that there‘s as much sham in the new set as the old. It emphasizes his aloneness and that he has no one to rely on. 👇🏻 3mo

Lcsmcat 👆🏻Finally, he thinks Halo will be that one person who understands him and shares “truth” with him. But I guess we‘ll have to read the sequel to know if he‘s right or not. 😀 (Sorry to be long-winded but I couldn‘t find a way to explain my opinion concisely,) 3mo

AllDebooks @Lcsmcat I think you explained that perfectly, and it makes complete sense. You've changed my mind x 😅 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat thank you. Great stuff. It wasn‘t that long winded, just Litsy makes it seem that way. Appreciate your thoughts and working through this aspect and laying it out for us. 3mo

CarolynM I‘ve just got around to reading this, at last, & caught up with the discussions -so interesting! @lcsmcat has expressed some of my ideas better than I could. I would add that, although V is horribly self absorbed, I felt for him in being caught between his talent (which I think we have to believe in even though we‘re not shown it directly) & his upbringing. 1mo

CarolynM Also, did you notice that everyone except Halo always believed the worst of him - that he was unfaithful to LL, that he asked Mrs P for an advance on the prize money rather than a genuine loan, that he approached the other publisher about breaking the contract - when he had no ill intentions, he was just too naive to see how his actions may appear. 1mo

Graywacke @CarolynM he was naive. But also careless and insensitive. What a tragedy he was to L‘s mom. Takes away her daughter and causes endless problems, and then doesn‘t even tell mom her daughter is dreadfully sick. I had trouble with that. But, i agree, he was also beautiful here, blissfully ignorant. Glad you have caught up! @Currey @Lcsmcat 1mo

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AllDebooks

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hi @DebinHawaii thanks for the #5JoysFriday tag.
1. A lovely, most welcome package from you. 💌
2. Finding out there's another week of summer holidays to go. 😍
3. Thrifting.
4. Family dinners
5. Found a bounty of holiday photos from when the teens were littlies. ❤️

AnnCrystal 💝💝💝💝💝. 3mo

kspenmoll 💙❤️🩷 3mo

DebinHawaii A lovely list of joys! 💛💛💛 Sorry my solstice card was so late but I‘m glad it made it! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thanks for joining in & helping spread the joy! 🤗 3mo

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Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hudson River Bracketed - Book 5
#whartonbuddyread

The shortest week. But, next week, our final one, will be by far the longest. We‘re back to The Willows and the ancient wisteria. And Vance is making life miserable for everyone he comes into contact with. The boy has no peripheral vision.

How is this going for you? Is anyone not wanting to smack Vance?

Halo might be a Walter Berry. See my 1st comment.

Lcsmcat

Graywacke Something to think about. Through all Wharton‘s books was her close friend Walter Berry. He read everything before it was submitted to publication, and she listened to him and discussed everything with him. He passed away in 1927. So this book, with its thoughts on the writing process, was written without him. Thinking of Halo… 3mo

Graywacke https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Van_Rensselaer_Berry 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts 3mo

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Graywacke @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie 3mo

Graywacke @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 3mo

Graywacke (fixed a couple mildly embarrassing typos…) 3mo

arubabookwoman oh my! The week got away from me and I totally forgot to read Whartons. I will try to catch up next week (or later today if the section is as short as you say). So far though I 'm liking this even though not quite as much as her masterworks. 3mo

TheBookHippie Okay, Halo is Berry. WOWOWOW. Yes. Has to be. 3mo

TheBookHippie Smack Vance yes. Seriously so obtuse. No even sure that‘s the correct word but 🤦🏻‍♀️. The descriptive language is quite gorgeous in this read, or I‘ve been without her writing for a spell. It‘s very puts you right in the place. 3mo

Currey @Graywacke Am thankful for it being a short read week as all manner of things required additional attention. However, I really am NOT appreciating Vance. I wonder if this is a portrait of someone Wharton knew? Sinclair Lewis? She absolutely makes him totally self consumed but then seems to forgive him because he is a genius, although so far he hasn‘t done much to verify that claim. I am not liking this much but still hold out hope for Halo 3mo

Graywacke @Currey hmm Lewis? How about F. Scott Fitzgerald? She met him once. He was drunk. She found him awful. 🙂 Who else? Midwest? Suburban? Hemingway? 3mo

AllDebooks Vance is an absolute tool. He strikes me as a 'grass is always greener' kinda guy. Don't think he's ever going to be truly happy or satisfied with his lot. 3mo

jewright The Mom is annoying me too. 3mo

Graywacke @arubabookwoman an easier week to catch up. Next week you may want to start early. 🙂 I agree with you. I‘m enjoying, not gawking. 3mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie I‘m not sure Halo is Berry, but it feels like there‘s a connection. Does selflessly oblivious work instead of “obtuse” (and its Shawshank Redemption echo)? I‘m glad you‘re enjoying this always elegant prose. 3mo

Graywacke @Currey I‘m worried about Halo. Sorry you had a crazy week. I hope the end pulls us all around 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks he‘s always hyper focused on one thing, to the neglect of everything else 3mo

Graywacke @jewright she‘s so messed up, Mrs. Tracy. But she has some justification. You can just elope with a teenager without even telling mom, and expect mom to ever forgive you. (edited) 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke yes that‘s it!!! I have migraine brain fog and trying to come up with that descriptive word!!! 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke son had to read Berry works for the summer so I think it‘s in my mind more than would be.😁 3mo

Lcsmcat @jewright @Graywacke (I‘ve been traveling home from a conference today and just now home.) Mrs. T is beyond annoying to me. She was unfair to V. from the beginning with Upton‘s shenanigans so I don‘t give her a pass. When your kid loves someone, you try your dard est to love them too. (Voice of experience here) She actively worked against them. 3mo

Lcsmcat That said, I want to shake Vance! He is not a likable character to me. I agree with @AllDebooks that he‘ll never be satisfied, and I think he‘ll hurt a lot of people along the way. 3mo

Lcsmcat Halo, I can‘t quite decide whether I feel sorry for her or not. She was sacrificed to her parents financial ends. But she was willing to sacrifice Vance to save her brother. She‘s unhappy in her marriage but her way of dealing with his fragile ego and lack of ability to actually _do_ anything made my skin crawl. She‘s so much smarter than him! 3mo

Lcsmcat Re Halo‘s marriage, 2 quotes: “She supposed that, after two or three years of marriage, there were times when most husbands seemed to their wives like harmless lunatics” and “it was easier to praise him behind his back than to humour him to his face.” 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat not unlike many unhappy marriages 😕 3mo

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AllDebooks

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

I spent a blissful hour catching up on the tagged #Whartonbuddyreads this morning. The teens were off doing water sports, so I sat by the lake with a good coffee and even better book.
Quite funny that I started out not enjoying this at all and know I move onto Book 6, it's my favourite of Wharton's yet.
@Graywacke @Lcsmcat

Graywacke Sounds like a glorious hour. Glad you‘re enjoying. I‘m pacing through Book V still 🙂 3mo

AllDebooks @Graywacke I love her landscape and seascape descriptions. 💚 3mo

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Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hudson River Bracketed - Books 3 & 4
#whartonbuddyread

Another beautiful sunrise. Loulou and Vance had at least a nice moment, despite some uncertain foreshadowing. My first thought, on starting Book 3, is how did these young adults get so boring only 3 years later. ☺️ We‘re in the middle sections. More set up and passage, less hooks. No clue where we‘re headed.

How‘s this going for everyone? Are you still into it?

Graywacke @Lcsmcat @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts 3mo

Graywacke @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie 3mo

Graywacke @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 3mo

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Currey @Graywacke Yes, but less so. Halo constrained by marriage and Vance tied up with love. Laura Lou was definitely more interesting as a child. One senses she would have been much better off with Bunty, but we will see. 3mo

TheBookHippie Gotta finish book 4 today but yes what happened ?!?! It‘s definitely SLOWER. 3mo

Graywacke @Currey @TheBookHippie I feel like we all lost out when Halo made a practical marriage. 🙁 We want a happy free highly visible Halo, causing trouble. Well… i do 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke I wanted her to REBEL! 🫣👀 3mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie she‘s too busy thinking for her husband 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke tragic… 3mo

AllDebooks Tbh, I'm really struggling to get to grips with it. I am behind (book 2), so will keep going and hope I get some connection with the characters/plot. 3mo

jewright I thought it was weird that they were so crazy for each other immediately. The honeymoon was cute and sweet, but seems to symbolize the whole not thinking through the marriage. 3mo

Currey @Graywacke Wharton gives us a reason for Halo marrying for her parent‘s financial security but it doesn‘t ring true to that ditzy wonderful woman of the first quarter of the book. And why exactly does Vance fall so hard for Laura Lou? He thinks he is supposed to be doing all her thinking for her, yet it doesn‘t seem like it is out and out lust, at least not totally sexual lust. And Lewis, it just doesn‘t look good for him… 3mo

Lcsmcat Both marriages seem tragic to me (but hey, it‘s Wharton - does she do happy marriage?) and I think Vance is in for a very Ethan Frome type experience. 3mo

Lcsmcat I‘m still invested in the characters. And Wharton‘s prose is as sharp as ever. 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks chapter IX is where I first got really into it. That‘s about halfway or more through book ii 3mo

Graywacke @jewright Vance immediately grasping Loulou and assuming it was all ok was in character. Agree with you completely about the honeymoon. Not a lot of thinking 3mo

Graywacke @Currey that was creepy when he thought he has to do all the thinking for LL. He‘s treating her the same Lewis is treating Halo. Just taking over their lives and expecting acquiescence. Strange. 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat ethan Frome experience. Oye. I need to brace. Is he hopelessly soulless suburban? Euphoria-ed? I‘m really hoping to the Halo spark return and shake the book up again. Not sure it can happen 3mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke I don‘t think he‘s hopelessly suburban. I think he‘s going to be constantly frustrated by trying to be creative in a situation that doesn‘t allow that to thrive. 3mo

Lcsmcat Did anyone else notice Wharton‘s commenting on publishing? “though of course they couldn‘t guarantee the public‘s taking to it, with the silly prejudice there was against war stories.” made me think of how her WWI story was delayed by the publisher because it wouldn‘t be popular. And 👇🏻 3mo

Lcsmcat “write pure manly stories about young fellows prospecting in the Yukon, or that sort of thing, because the big reading public was fed up with descriptions of corrupt society people, like there was a demand for in the East.” seems like something she might have heard as a reflection on her own common themes. 3mo

AllDebooks @Graywacke I'm not that crazy about Vance, so far. I'm going to read book 2, hoping it grips me. I should think it picks up once he gets to New York and his circle/experiences expand. 3mo

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Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hudson River Bracketed - Books I & II
#whartonbuddyread

Advance G Weston has retreated east. After some poison in suburban Chicago, Wharton takes us to upstate New York, an impoverished but happy community of Tracy‘s and Spears. I thought the book became quite beautiful once Halo Spear entered. And that lovely sunrise.

This is Wharton‘s longest novel. Are you hanging in there? Thoughts?

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts 3mo

Graywacke @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie 3mo

Graywacke @llwheeler @Louise @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 3mo

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kspenmoll Beautiful photo. 3mo

TheBookHippie At first I was 😵‍💫🤷🏻‍♀️😅 fear of religiosity🙃. However after that paragraph 👀 I settled down. I am loving the writing style and the setting very much. I like Halo, not sure about Vance- I just don‘t like him, no real particular reason he just rubs me wrong. She is evocative for sure in this novel. I‘m ready to read more. 3mo

AllDebooks What a view! I'm completely engrossed in The Voyage Out atm, but I'm hoping to get to Wharton this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it. 3mo

Currey @TheBookHippie Yes, because it is Wharton, the “new religion” piece was a bit off putting but didn‘t out and out scare me. I don‘t think Wharton would lead us too far into religion. However, I could be wrong. I am also enjoying Halo. What a lovely name with an eccentric character to match. 3mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie oh. Wanted to know what Vance‘s religion truly entailed. Onward and upward, go go speculation, surely? @Currey 3mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie @currey I‘m glad you‘re both enjoying Halo as much as i am. Definitely eccentric. Wonderfully so. Vance doesn‘t bother me. Meek blank slate, recovering from suburban upbringing. 3mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke @TheBookHippie I felt like the religion was Capitalism, and she was trying to show through Vance how empty that was. 3mo

TheBookHippie @Currey ME 😵‍💫 cannot take one more ounce of alt right religiosity 👀😅. I agree with you about Wharton, thus I kept reading. 3mo

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat Most likely. The first bit of the book I was 😵‍💫 then reassured myself this is Wharton. 😅🙃🙂 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke cannot read one more character who is a zealot for alt right religiosity… 😅😂🤣🤪or pious. The opening threw me. I‘ve not read any blurbs about this book so I‘m going in blind. 3mo

Lcsmcat I enjoy Halo on the page, but she would drive me crazy in real life! Not sure I‘d be as forgiving as Vance! 3mo

TheBookHippie @Lcsmcat oh I‘ve not thought about that. I do enjoy her on the page. Or how she‘s written. 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks Im glad you‘re joining. Enjoy The Voyage Out. 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat Good point. Vance gets patience points 3mo

Graywacke Random thought - so, is Halo engaged or not? I haven‘t read ahead. We don‘t know, but we know the decision time has passed. 3mo

TheBookHippie @Graywacke was wondering as well🤷🏻‍♀️ 3mo

Leftcoastzen 🙄😱I forgot to start ! 3mo

arubabookwoman Had a really hard time getting into Part I, and was debating bailing. But once Vance got East to the Hudson and especially after Halo entered the scene, the book really picked up for me. I'm interested to see where Wharton takes us. I wonder whether she's going to take us deep into Hudson Valley architecture since apparently the term Hudson Valley Bracketed refers to a particular type of architecture. (edited) 3mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke On the 💍 question, I‘m guessing she‘s managed to keep him guessing too! 3mo

Lcsmcat OK, I‘m home where my highlights are, so here come the quotes. 😀 To support my theory of Vance and religion: “Vance respected efficiency, and even admired it; but of late he had come to feel that as a diet for the soul it was deficient in nourishment.” 3mo

Lcsmcat Because it made me laugh: “This familiar way of talking about “Jesus” as if He were somebody waiting round the corner at Mandel‘s grocery for a telephone call” 3mo

Lcsmcat “Vance, accustomed to short~cuts to culture, had expected an early version of the “five-foot shelf”;” This quote amused me because today people who‘ve read the entire Harvard Classics think they‘re so classically educated, but Wharton puts an end to that nonsense. 😀 3mo

Graywacke @Leftcoastzen my poor reminders feel neglected 🙂 I hope you can join us. It‘s a bit of a commitment, though. 3mo

Graywacke @arubabookwoman i felt the same. It was ho hum. Then chapters viii and ix came and I realized she did have something special going on here. That sunrise was gorgeous 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat fun quotes. Oh, she would demolish today‘s education… 3mo

jewright I forgot to start. I‘ve had a crazy week, but I will try to start and catch up this week. 3mo

Graywacke @jewright i think my reminders just stunk this time. I hope you can catch up. Hang in there till Halo. 3mo

jewright I‘ve just finished books 1-2. Halo would drive me crazy. I hate when people aren‘t on time. Why doesn‘t someone live in the house? That would be the easiest way to take care of it. 3mo

Graywacke @jewright glad you caught up. In RL Halo would drive me nuts too. But i enjoyed reading about her. 3mo

CarolynM I‘m behind yet again. I‘ll try to catch up for next week. 3mo

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Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Well, a little longer than I anticipated. But I‘ve gotten started, and gotten into it. #whartonbuddyread

32 likes

Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

Hudson River Bracketed - books 1&2 next weekend
#whartonbuddyread

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts @cindyash @Crazeedi 3mo

Graywacke @Currey @dabbe @Daisey @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie @llwheeler @Louise 3mo

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 3mo

See All 21 Comments

AllDebooks Ready to go 🤓 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks me too! It‘s been too long 3mo

AllDebooks @Graywacke it has. Hope you've had a nice break tho 😊 3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks I‘ve been reading Possession by AS Byatt. It‘s been quite wonderful, actually. What about you? 3mo

AllDebooks I'm starting a Virginia Woolf buddyread group called #VirginiaBloomsberries just reading her 1st book. I adore A S Byatt. I read The Children's Book last month. I'm sure you would enjoy it too.

The Children's Book

3mo

Graywacke @AllDebooks oh!? I‘ll have to check your group out. I want to read through Woolf. 3mo

TheBookHippie Oh I have to post a picture of my copy I found!! Anyway, ready to go! 3mo

Daisey I won‘t be reading this one if you want to take me off the tag list. 3mo

Lcsmcat Started this morning! It‘s good to be back with Edith. 😀 3mo

AmyG I was in the Berkshires this week. I passed her house! 3mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie ooh. I‘m curious 3mo

Graywacke @Daisey sure. I‘ll take you off my list for this book, and tag you again on the next one 3mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat yay! I plan to begin Monday 3mo

Graywacke @AmyG how cool! Did you get a good look? 3mo

AmyG I didn‘t. It wasn‘t a pleasure trip…moving my brother-in-law to a senior living facility. But I was excited to see her home. It was a beautiful white colonial. 3mo

Graywacke @AmyG that sounds challenging. Hope it went ok. But, also, really, how cool! 3mo

Leftcoastzen I hope to be ready 3mo

Graywacke @Leftcoastzen hope all is ok. 3mo

35 likes21 comments

LitsyEvents

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2758887

Via @Graywacke

- #whartonbuddyread
Just a reminder: we get back to Wharton again in two weeks

25 likes

Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

- #whartonbuddyread
Just a reminder: we get back to Wharton again in two weeks

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts 4mo

Graywacke @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe @Daisey @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler 4mo

Lcsmcat Looking forward to it! 4mo

Liz_M @LitsyEvents 4mo

29 likes5 comments

LitsyEvents

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

repost for @Graywacke

#whartonbuddyread

Thinking way way ahead on the book that has an architectural style names after it. I would like to hold off on our next Wharton novel until August.

#BuddyRead

original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2737306

26 likes

Graywacke

Hudson River Bracketed | Edith Wharton

#whartonbuddyread

Thinking way way ahead on the book that has an architectural style names after it. I would like to hold off on our next Wharton novel until August.

Lcsmcat

Graywacke @AllDebooks @amysisson @Ann_Reads @arubabookwoman @batsy @BookishTrish @CarolynM @catebutler @Catherine_Willoughby @Cathythoughts @cindyash @Crazeedi @Currey @dabbe 6mo

Graywacke @Daisey @emilyhaldi @IMASLOWREADER @IndoorDame @jewright @KathyWheeler @kspenmoll @Leftcoastzen @LitStephanie @llwheeler @Louise 6mo

CarolynM No problem. I might even be able to keep up with the reading schedule by then🙂 6mo

See All 23 Comments

Graywacke @rubyslippersreads @SamAnne @sarahbellum @Sparklemn @Suet624 @Tamra @TheBookHippie @willaful 6mo

Graywacke @CarolynM 👍 6mo

TheBookHippie Perfect. 6mo

Lcsmcat Works for me! (But I hope that it‘s not that long before your power comes back on. 😀) 6mo

Graywacke @Lcsmcat we got it back Monday evening. Four days of no power. I‘m still in recovering. 😁 I committed to a group read on fb in June and one of Possession by AS Byatt here on Litsy in July. That‘s why i pushed to August. 6mo

Graywacke @TheBookHippie 👍 perfect is good 🙂 6mo

Lcsmcat @Graywacke Glad to know it‘s back! I read Possession decades ago (I feel so old!) and LOVED it. I hope you have a similar experience. 6mo

Leftcoastzen Yay! 6mo

Suet624 4 days feels endless. 6mo

Graywacke @Leftcoastzen 🙂 6mo

Graywacke @Suet624 it was endless 6mo

Liz_M @LitsyEvents 6mo

Currey Glad to hear your power is back and happy to push Wharton‘s next to August 6mo

dabbe Just the thought of losing power at this time of year makes me like this: 😱. Glad you have it back, and August sounds doable. 6mo

Graywacke @Currey thanks! I‘ll miss our group till then. 6mo

Graywacke @dabbe i‘m kind of freaking out about an August in Houston without power. Hurricane season expected to be intense, so it‘s a real possibility. 6mo

dabbe @Graywacke Oh, man, that is horrible to even remotely contemplate. Houston has certainly gone through some MAJOR weather fiascos. I'll keep my 🤞 for you! 6mo

Graywacke @dabbe I appreciate that 6mo

jewright Works for me. I‘m not ready to think about August though. School is just ending. 6mo

Graywacke @jewright oh, i get that. Same for my wife. 6mo

40 likes23 comments

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