The Age of Innocence

By Edith Wharton | Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

About the book

Winner of the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to a book written by a woman, The Age of Innocence is a suspenseful, deeply moving, and brilliantly accomplished novel of the struggle between desire and destiny.

In the polished works of Edith Wharton, Old New York is a society at once infinitely sophisticated and ruthlessly primitive, in which adherence to ritual and loyalty to clan surpass all other values—and transgression is always punished.

The Age of Innocence is Wharton’s 1920 novel of love menaced by convention, played out against a gorgeously arrayed backdrop of opera houses, lavish dinner parties, country homes, and luxurious deathbeds. The young lawyer Newland Archer believes that he must make an impossible choice: domesticity with his docile and lovely fiancée, May Welland, or passion with her highly unsuitable but irresistible cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska. What Newland does not suspect—but will learn—is that the women also hold cards in this game...

Editions of The Age of Innocence

Paperback
ISBN 9780451501066
Paperback
ISBN 9780451504210
Paperback
ISBN 9780451526120
Paperback
ISBN 9780451530882
EBook
ISBN 9781440635687
Audiobook
ISBN 9780140860436

Read an Excerpt

Winner of the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to a book written by a woman, The Age of Innocence is a suspenseful, deeply moving, and brilliantly accomplished novel of the struggle between desire and destiny.

In the polished works of Edith Wharton, Old New York is a society at once infinitely sophisticated and ruthlessly primitive, in which adherence to ritual and loyalty to clan surpass all other values—and transgression is always punished.

The Age of Innocence is Wharton’s 1920 novel of love menaced by convention, played out against a gorgeously arrayed backdrop of opera houses, lavish dinner parties, country homes, and luxurious deathbeds. The young lawyer Newland Archer believes that he must make an impossible choice: domesticity with his docile and lovely fiancée, May Welland, or passion with her highly unsuitable but irresistible cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska. What Newland does not suspect—but will learn—is that the women also hold cards in this game...

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Age of Innocence about?

Winner of the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to a book written by a woman, The Age of Innocence is a suspenseful, deeply moving, and brilliantly accomplished novel of the struggle between desire and destiny.

In the polished works of Edith Wharton, Old New York is a society at once infinitely sophisticated and ruthlessly primitive, in which adherence to ritual and loyalty to clan surpass all other values—and transgression is always punished.

The Age of Innocence is Wharton’s 1920 novel of love menaced by convention, played out against a gorgeously arrayed backdrop of opera houses, lavish dinner parties, country homes, and luxurious deathbeds. The young lawyer Newland Archer believes that he must make an impossible choice: domesticity with his docile and lovely fiancée, May Welland, or passion with her highly unsuitable but irresistible cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska. What Newland does not suspect—but will learn—is that the women also hold cards in this game...

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The Age of Innocence?

Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre > Classic fiction: literary and general

Where can I read a sample of The Age of Innocence?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780451501066

Who is/are the Author/s of the book The Age of Innocence?

Edith Wharton

Who is the Publisher of the book The Age of Innocence?

Penguin Publishing Group

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

The Age of Innocence is available as paperback(ISBN 9780451501066) and paperback(ISBN 9780451504210) and paperback(ISBN 9780451526120) and paperback(ISBN 9780451530882) and ebook(ISBN 9781440635687) and audiobook(ISBN 9780140860436)

Where can I buy The Age of Innocence online or support local independent bookshops?

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Where can I buy The Age of Innocence?