Twilight Sleep (1927)

I think I liked it, but I didn't read it in a timely manner, so I oughta read it again. ( )

After reading the notes at the beginning of my copy of Twilight Sleep, I wasn't really expecting much from it - expert opinion seemed to be that this is one of Wharton's weaker novels, worth reading only for completeness sake. Happily, I found that it was actually quite enjoyable - in my opinion, better than The Buccaneers. If this is one of Wharton's weaker efforts, I'll definitely be looking out for other books by the same author. ( )

Pauline Manford is a superlative New York hostess and do-gooder, organizing her causes and her social events with equal efficiency and panache, while taking care of herself by going to a series of self-help gurus. Her daughter-in-law Lita is a child of the Jazz Age, though, and her boredom with her marriage affects all of Pauline's family, until everything might come crashing down on them.

Compared to Wharton's earlier, greater novels, this is overplotted and undercharacterized; I often felt as though the plot was driving the characterization, rather than developing out of it. It's still interesting to see her look at New York society, but she seems out of her depth a bit, lapsing into satire rather than the subtly scathing criticism I love about her best books. I did enjoy the lampooning of the self-help culture Pauline is addicted to, and the flashes of sly humor, but I wish the characters had been deeper and more sympathetic. ( )