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 97th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2220
This book was first published in 1920
26 Lists
- score: 150 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 150)
- score: 108 -- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century - 1996 (Weight: 108)
- score: 101 -- The Celebrity Reading List - 2007 (Weight: 96)
- score: 99 -- The New Lifetime Reading Plan - 1999 (Weight: 99)
- score: 98 -- Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century - 1999 (Weight: 96)
- score: 97 -- The Greatest Books of All Time - 2022 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers - 2024 (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 96)
- score: 93 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 90)
- score: 92 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 90)
- score: 91 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books - 2011 (Weight: 90)
- score: 90 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 90)
- score: 82 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- The Best Classics - 2006 (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books - 2013 (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- 100 Best Novels Written in English - 2015 (Weight: 81)
- score: 81 -- The Graphic Canon - 2012 (Weight: 81)
- score: 75 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 75)
- score: 72 -- D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels - 2009 (Weight: 69)
- score: 72 -- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition - 2011 (Weight: 72)
- score: 67 -- 100 Best Books to Read by Women Authors - 2021 (Weight: 66)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 66)
- score: 57 -- 87 Books Written by Women That Are So Good, You Won't Be Able to Put Them Down - 2020 (Weight: 57)
- score: 18 -- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 18)