- The characters were difficult to relate to.
- I'd not read anything by Edith Wharton before, and now I would put her on my 'to be read' pile.
- My copy described the book (on the back) as a popular romantic novel, so I could guess the ending, but it was a pleasant journey to reach it.
- The topic of wealth money and morals was interesting. I did wonder whether on marriage Susy would fall pregnant, but that complication didn't arise!
- It took me a while to get used to the style of Edith Wharton’s writing and some of the sentences seemed to have so many clauses, I had to read them twice to really understand them.
- I did enjoy “Glimpses of the Moon” and I would read another of her novels.
- The agreement Suzy and Nick make for their marriage i.e. live off the generosity of their friends/acquaintances for a year, but to part should one be offered a better opportunity for a more secure future, is hardly the best foundation for a successful marriage. It was reassuring that Suzy and Nick finally realised what was important.
- I think Wharton conveys the affluent aristocratic lifestyle and their values well but it’s hard to have much empathy for the characters. True friendships are rare.
- I enjoyed the book, which I thought got better as it went on. I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters, except the Fulmer children, and Susy, who was a lot more mature by the end of the book.
- If this book is a true reflection of society as it was then, it must have been ghastly. The author reflects Susy’s feelings about her ‘friends’ very well and how the obsession with wealth coloured everything. (I wonder whether American society has changed much.)
- It made a nice change to have a happy ending! I did like the writing and would like to read “The Age of Innocence” for contrast.
Marks out of ten: 6,6,5,7,7.5,7.5,