Finished: The Age of Innocence (Wharton). Good book! I enjoyed this book, and it was very well written. I was surprised to see that it's a Pulitzer Prize winner. I'm not sure it was that good for me, but it was such a good look at what society life must have been like in New York in the late 1800's. I vaguely remember seeing the movie years ago, but I tried hard not to let Daniel Day-Lewis or Michelle Pfeiffer or Winona Ryder pop into my head. They really didn't fit the character descriptions, so I just imagined on my own.

Of course, this was another story about unrequited love. Newland Archer is a 30ish lawyer from a respectable New York family about to marry Mae Welland, a younger and innocent young lady from an equally respectable family. He appears to be head over heels in love with both her, and their way of living the perfect, respectable, New York, society life, complete with all its rules and expectations. Then, Mae's cousin, Ellen Olenska comes to town. She is 30ish and married to a Polish Count. It is an unhappy marriage and she has left him hoping for a divorce. The Archer and Welland circle of friends frown upon her unconventional "European" ways, but accept her as part of the Welland family. Newland forgets all about how much he loves Mae and falls completely for Ellen. They both admit their feelings, but never do more than kiss. Newland sticks to his duty and marries Mae. He can't get over Ellen, though. He considers Mae less insightful and more set in her ways. After two years of marriage, Ellen and Newland meet again. Newland decides he will leave Mae, break her heart, and face the scorn of his society family and friends to be with Ellen. However, after at first agreeing, Ellen suddenly leaves town for Europe. Just as Newland is about to confess to Mae how he feels about Ellen and follow her to Europe, Mae tells him she's pregnant with their first child. He stays with Mae and they have three children and many years together. Mae dies 24 years later and two years after that Newland's oldest son tells him that on her deathbed Mae told him that his father once gave up the one person who meant the world to him to keep his young family in tact. Newland realizes that Mae had some pretty good insight after all and knew all along that he loved Ellen. Newland's son convinces him to go to Paris with him, and in the process to see Ellen. Newland thinks it over, but prefers to live with his memories of the love instead and walks away.

I don't know....I still can't ever truly get into the stories where the guy is so willing to leave his wife or girlfriend for another woman so quickly (and vice versa). I don't romanticize that in my head or heart, so I found it hard to sympathize or feel the angst of Newland and Ellen. Just like I could never feel sorry for Anna Karenina and Vronsky. I wasn't nearly as revolted by Newland and Ellen, though, because they DID end up doing the right thing for the people they cared about. I did have some passages I particularly liked.

I like this one! :-) At the opera, Newland is unfazed when the opera singer sings Faust in Italian to the American audience:

She sang, of course, "M'ama!" and not "he loves me", since an unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the German text of French operas sung by Swedish artists should be translated into Italian for the clear understanding of English-speaking audiences. This seemed as natural to Newland Archer as all the other conventions of which his life was molded.

Newland reminisces about the pre-engagement sewing of his oats with an older woman:

The affair, in short, had been of the kind that most of the young men of his age had been through, and emerged from with calm consciences and an undisturbed belief in the abysmal distinction between the woman one loved and respected and those one enjoyed---and pitied. In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mothers, aunts and other elderly female relatives, who all shared Mrs. Archer's belief that when "such things happened" it was undoubtedly foolish of the man, but somehow always criminal of the woman. All the elderly ladies whom Archer knew regarded any woman who loved imprudently as necessarily unscrupulous and designing, and mere simple-minded man as powerless in her clutches.

And after Newland and Mae are married, Newland wants to take a "business" trip to Washington, but it's really to see Ellen. Mae's no dummy. She even tells him he should look up cousin Ellen.

     "The change will do you good," she said simply, when he had finished; "and you must be sure to go and see Ellen," she added, looking him straight in the eyes with her cloudless smile, and speaking in the tone she might have employed in urging him not to neglect some irksome family duty.
     It was the only word that passed between them on the subject; but in the code in which they had both been trained it meant: "Of course you understand that I know all that people have been saying about Ellen, and heartily sympathize with my family in their effort to get her to return to her husband. I also know that, for some reason you have not chosen to tell me, you have advised her against this course, which all the older men of the family, as well as our grandmother, agree in approving; and that it is owing to your encouragement that Ellen defies us all, and exposes herself to the kind of criticism of which Mr. Sillerton Jackson probably gave you this evening, the hint that has made you so irritable....Hints have indeed not been wanting; but since you appear unwilling to take them from others, I offer you this one myself, in the only form in which well-bred people of our kind can communicate unpleasant things to each other: by letting you understand that I know you mean to see Ellen when you are in Washington, and are perhaps going there expressly for that purpose; and that, since you are sure to see her, I wish you to do so with my full and explicit approval---and to take the opportunity of letting her know what the course of conduct you have encouraged her in is likely to lead to."
     Her hand was still on the key of the lamp when the last word of this mute message reached him.

Love that! Oh the things we wives can say to our husbands without speaking a word. :-)