Any book by Wharton is worth it. Her elegance and turn with a phrase are just joys to read, even poetical when read out loud. And who knew she could write something that was a COMEDY of manners, questioning and commenting about the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society? The only Wharton where I have ever laughed out loud. Definitely a story that has one “keeping up with the Joneses.“ 😉 ( )

29. The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
OPD: 1922
format: ~300-page Kindle public domain copy
acquired: March read: Apr 11-30 time reading: 9:25, 1.9 mpp
rating: 4½
genre/style: Classic fiction theme: Wharton
locations: Lake Como, Venice, Genoa, Paris, London
about the author: 1862-1937. Born Edith Newbold Jones on West 23rd Street, New York City. Relocated permanently to France after 1911.

After a number of novels where marriage is socially sacred, and divorce a tool used only by the most immorally selfish, Wharton experiments with divorce as a game. Nick and Susy, each living parasitically off the leisure class community, having been accepted, supported and used socially, get married with no financial prospects and an agreement that should an opportunity arise, they will support each other towards it. It's temporary marriage by plan, and Susy has managed to work out a year of living off gifts and charity, all with strings.

This is a silly setup that should not work. But it works delightfully. Wharton seems to have been enjoying herself and she makes it very easy for her readers to embrace that. Although, knowing Wharton, we can only brace for catastrophe. Our homeless Americans never leave Europe, their break predetermined, shatters. And what next? The selfish, frivolous, socially exquisite, dorky, intellectually curious wealthy are all presented in all their flaws and elegance, exposed and accepted.

Wharton-lite doesn't mean her writing skills are compromised. This is a fine work of literature and a fun, rewarding read, even if she fails to dunk us, as expected, in deepest discomfort.

2023
https://www.librarything.com/topic/348551#8136388 ( )

A love story with a sweet, if unreal ending. Susy and Nick, who found each other while living a parasitic life off their rich friends, begin living married life in friends' villas, palaces etc in Europe and for household expenses, living off their wedding checks. They figure they can last at least a year in this manner, but this matter of having to"beg" for a living causes unforetold problems to their little love-nest. ( )

It’s only a paper moon
Hanging over a cardboard sea,
But it wouldn’t be make believe
If you believed in me.
It’s a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn’t be make believe
If you believed in me.

**************************

Say you don’t need no diamond rings
And I’ll be satisfied,
Tell me that you want the kind of things
That money just can’t buy.
I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.

This is the story of Suzy and Nick Lansing, two newly-weds who hang with the rich and famous, but have no money of their own. Their attempts to live in this world of pseudo-friendship and obligation takes its toll on them and their marriage, and the line that separates morality from indebtedness wears them thin.

I spent much of this novel thinking of Scarlett and Rhett, when they are both thinking they would like to make it up to one another but neither is willing to make the first move. I anguished over the pride and misunderstanding that seems to push these characters apart at every turn, and the influences of the so-called friends who are too shallow or self-interested to consider what they might be doing to a marriage of love.

She felt as though she were on the point of losing some new-found treasure, a treasure precious only to herself, but beside which all he offered her was nothing, the triumph of her wounded pride nothing, the security of her future nothing.

And, what we see here, among the fakes and pretenders, is real love. The kind a smart person would perish for; a meeting of the souls and the minds.

It was odd-once upon a time she had known exactly what to say to the man of the moment, whoever he was, and whatever kind of talk he required...But since then she had spoken the language of real love, looked with its eyes, embraced with its hands; and now the other trumpery art had failed her, and she was conscious of bungling and groping like a beginner…

I adored this lesser known but brilliant story by one of my favorite authors, Edith Wharton. Wharton is always able to cut to the essence of what ails the monied society, but she also knows what it is to be on the fringe of it and to want desperately to be included. All that glitters is not gold, but when you are standing at a certain distance, it might seem to be.

This is a short book, more a novelette than a novel, so there is no excuse--Read It! ( )

Suzy og Nick har meget tilfælles: De er unge, intelligente, og så driver de rundt blandt et internationalt jetset, hvor alle har penge i stakkevis, men hvor tilværelsen mest består af en konstant jagt på adspredelse i form af forbrug, rejser og intriger. Den slags ressourcer har Suzy og Nick ikke. Til gengæld er de godt selskab, og det er deres adgangsbillet til en mere luksuriøs tilværelse som henholdsvis anstandsdame og almindeligt intellektuelt krydderi.

For at være sammen kaster de to sig ud i et socialt eksperiment: De bliver gift med den eksplicitte aftale, at de kan sige ægteskabet op og rykke videre, hvis der dukker bedre tilbud op. Planen er så at leve af bryllupsgaverne – kun kontanter, selvfølgelig – på skift i de rige venners huse rundt omkring i Europa. Tanken er, at ideen er så mystisk, at alle vil stå i kø for at lægge hus til og følge med i, hvordan det går. Første stop er en hyggelig villa ved Como-søen, og umiddelbart ser det hele ud til at flaske sig.

Og så alligevel ikke. Som i enhver god romantisk komedie er der noget at overvinde for at opnå lykken. Da de drager videre til Venedig, hvor de skal bo hos Suzys veninde Ellie Vanderly, begynder tingene at blive indviklede. Ellie har fået en ny elsker, og denne gang bliver Suzy trukket med ind i bedraget. Ikke nok med at datteren Clarissa er efterladt til almindeligt opsyn, der ligger også en stak nummererede kuverter til ægtemanden, som hun bliver bedt om at poste.

Suzy bryder sig ikke om det, og hun kan slet ikke fortælle den principfaste Nick om arrangementet, men på den anden side er det jo heller ikke så lige til at afslå. Dels er Ellie allerede væk, dels er det svært at afvise en tjeneste, når veninden har stillet et palæ med tjenestefolk og forplejning til rådighed, som man ellers aldrig kunne komme i nærheden af. Fuld af modvilje gør Suzy som hun er blevet bedt om, og dermed er kimen lagt til den uenighed med Nick, der skal teste, hvor stærk deres kærlighed egentlig er.

Wharton har skrevet en romantisk satire om det overfladiske liv blandt den meget rige overklasse, men hun skildrer det med nuancer. Det er tydeligt, at Nick og især Suzy er tiltrukket af den frihed, den luksus og den mulighed for at dyrke smukke ting, der følger med velstanden, og venne-gruppen er heller ikke skåret over en kam. Der er familien Fulmer, der lever beskedent i håbet om at manden slår igennem som kunstmaler og konen som musiker, der er Streff, som nok er britisk overklasse, men som også kan se igennem spillet, der Nelson Vanderlyn, der i virkeligheden elsker sin familie højt, selvom det er frygteligt umoderne, og så er der familien Hicks, der har tjent så mange penge i Amerika, at de ikke er til at ignorere, selvom de tydeligvis ikke forstår de sociale koder. Til gengæld interesserer de sig reelt for videnskab, kunst og kultur, frem for som en undskyldning for at mødes med andre rige mennesker.

Jeg var ret begejstret for bogen. Der er bid i Whartons satiriske pen, men den er drevet af indsigt og nysgerrighed over for de særlige udfordringer tilværelsen byder de meget rige og for den tiltrækningskraft det uvægerligt har på folk med færre ressourcer. Og så er det en god romantisk historie om kærlighedens veje og omveje. ( )