This is a full summary. If you wish to read this novel without knowing the storyline, please stop reading here.

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The backstory is: Anna Summers and George Darrow had been in love. Anna Summers abruptly had left Darrow to marry Fraser Leath who had a son Owen. Anna had a daughter Effie by Fraser. Darrow never married for he loved her forever. Years later, Fraser died. Anna and George met again and took off from where they left.

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When the actual story opens, it shows a letter from Anna telling Darrow not to come to visit her in Paris for something to do with her present family, but the letter reaches Darrow's hands too late when he's on his way to Paris. Darrow thinks he's being cast away again but goes to Paris anyhow.

On the way, he meets a very young and pretty girl, Sophie Vinter, who plans to stay with a family and has the dream of becoming an actress. Darrow offers to give her a ride to where she is going. When they reach there, they find out that the host family who had accepted Sophie has moved away, but they manage to get the new address.

Darrow feels sorry for the girl, and he takes her around Paris to the theater and to show her the sights. At the theater, he runs across Owen, Anna's stepson. Then, at a moment's weakness, Darrow and Sophie become lovers. Sophie leaves after a week or so, to go to her host family's place and tells Darrow to remember what they had as a fine memory and there could be nothing in between them afterwards, although she has fallen in love with Darrow. After this, the communication between Darrow and Sophie stops.

Later on, Darrow and Anna meet again and their love restarts. Two or three years pass, before Anna invites Darrow to her home to meet her family.

When Darrow arrives there, Anna asks him to help convince her mother-in-law to approve the marriage of a young girl of a lower class to her step-son Owen, and until that is achieved, the announcement for Darrow's and Anna's engagement has to be put on hold. Darrow agrees.

Anna's daughter Effie has a nanny that the family is happy with. When Darrow meets her, he's shocked to see that the nanny is none other than Sophie Vinter, and he later finds out that she's the girl Owen Leath is in love with. Sophie and Darrow act as if they were only distant acquaintances from long ago.

Sophie is approved to marry Owen, but Darrow tries to convince her not to marry without love. Several scenes and meetings occur between Darrow and Sophie that make Owen and Anna suspicious about their affair, especially after Sophie tells she is leaving Owen.

Finally, the cat is out of the bag, but Anna goes through all kinds of psychological traumas. At the end, she cannot leave Darrow and is with him, but she'll always carry the suspicion and self-torture inside her.

The issue that Anna keeps returning to is not that Darrow has deeper feelings for Sophy, but that Sophy has been there before her whether it was to the theater with Darrow or in Darrow's arms. This is as if Anna were lily-white herself.

taking a look at the understanding of sex and relationships and class differences of a century ago.

the author's use of language and descriptions.

Anna's selfish and neurotic character; however, this was written before Freud and maybe people did behave that way.

sorry for Darrow. Although he's made to come across as calcified as a reef, he was stepped on by Anna several times.

Edith Wharton is a Pulitzer-prize winning American novelist and short story writer who lived from 1862 to 1937.

The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, Madame de Treymes, Summer, The Glimpses of the Moon, The Buccaneers, The House of Mirth are among her many works.

it is a classic, but read it at your own expense. It doesn't fit well with today's understanding at all.

Although most experts of literature claim that this novel shows a clear-eyed wisdom about the possibilities and the limitations of human love and they usually side with Anna because she kept going through such psychological trauma, which is all her own making, I appreciate Darrow not giving up on his true love, despite not being forgiven so easily for something that happened when he was free to do whatever he did.

*And a weird thing, possibly done on purpose to make Darrow feel inhuman: George Darrow is referred as Darrow throughout the novel, except once or twice when Anna calls him. Most others are called by their last or first names in a mixed fashion.

This book was published in 1912. Honestly speaking, despite its annoying plot (in my opinion) with bias toward the female main character, it succeeds to keep the reader's attention to the end.

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Created May 10, 2011 at 1:57pm • Submit your own review...