The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Set in the 1870s, the novel revolves around Newland Archer, a young lawyer from New York's high society, who is engaged to the beautiful and conventional May Welland. His life takes a turn when he meets May's cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska, who has returned from Europe after leaving her scandalous husband. Torn between his duty and passion, Archer struggles with the constraints of the society he is a part of. The book offers a vivid portrayal of the struggle between individual desires and societal expectations in the upper-class New York society of the late 19th century.
The 92nd greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2493
This book was first published in 1920
40 Lists
- score: 204 -- 'The perfect library': the 196 books selected by 133 personalities - 2020 (Weight: 190)
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 190 -- The 100 Best Books from 1900 to the Present - 2024 (Weight: 190)
- score: 180 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 170)
- score: 169 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 160)
- score: 169 -- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English - 2026 (Weight: 160)
- score: 165 -- Books Of The Century - 1999 (Weight: 150)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 140 -- 125 Best Romance Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 133)
- score: 127 -- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller - 2025 (Weight: 120)
- score: 105 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 105)
- score: 100 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 100)
- score: 95 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century - 1999 (Weight: 89)
- score: 83 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 80 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 79)
- score: 69 -- The Celebrity Reading List - 2007 (Weight: 60)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 60 -- Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 60)
- score: 33 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 33)
- score: 31 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 30)
- score: 30 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 18 -- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 86)
- score: 16 -- 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors - 2021 (Weight: 16)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels - 2009 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Top 100 Books - 1999 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Love - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 87 Books Written by Women That Are So Good, You Won't Be Able to Put Them Down - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Edmonton's Top 100 - 1998 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Greatest Books of All Time - 2022 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 - 2014 (Weight: 1)