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Edith Wharton
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The Custom of the Country Kindle Edition

by Edith Wharton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,108 ratings
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Edith Wharton’s classic story of one woman’s quest for wealth and status after the turn of the twentieth century

Beautiful, selfish, and driven, Undine Spragg arrives in New York with all of the ambition and naiveté that her midwestern, nouveau riche upbringing afforded her. As cunning as she is lovely, Undine has but one goal in life: to ascend to the upper echelons of high society. And so with a single-minded tenacity, Undine continues to maneuver through life, finding all the while that true satisfaction remains just beyond her grasp.

Hailed by Elizabeth Hardwick as “Edith Wharton’s finest achievement,” The Custom of the Country is a riveting novel of ruthless ambition and a literary master class in the art of the antiheroine.

This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
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  1. Print length
    511 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    January 27, 2015
  6. File size
    2302 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Edith Wharton's finest achievement."—Elizabeth Hardwick

From the Publisher

First published in 1913, Edith Wharton's The Custom Of The Country is scathing novel of ambition featuring one of the most ruthless heroines in literature. Undine Spragg is as unscrupulous as she is magnetically beautiful. Her rise to the top of New York's high society from the nouveau riche provides a provocative commentary on the upwardly mobile and the aspirations that eventually cause their ruin. One of Wharton's most acclaimed works, The Custom Of The Country is a stunning indictment of materialism and misplaced values that is as powerful today for its astute observations about greed and power as when it was written nearly a century ago.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00RWJPRNW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (January 27, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 27, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2302 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 511 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 2,108 ratings

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  1. Edith Wharton

    Edith Wharton

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  2. Stephen Orgel

    Stephen Orgel

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    Stephen Orgel is Professor of English at Stanford University. Best known as a scholar of Shakespeare, Orgel writes primarily about the political and historical context of Renaissance literature.

    Orgel received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1954 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1959. He has taught at Stanford since 1985.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
2,108 global ratings
Don’t buy this copy
1 Star
Don’t buy this copy
I thought all paperbacks were pretty much the same, quality wise. This was the least expensive, so I bought it, even though the cover design was ugly. It was put together so cheaply that the publisher, unnamed, squeezed the story in so tightly, leaving a very narrow inside margin. I have to stretch every page and hold the book at an angle to read the words close to the seams. There is no introduction at the beginning, which is unusual for a classic. Frankly, I’m surprised that Amazon would even offer such a poor quality book. From now on, I will pay more attention, and choose a good publisher, such as Penguin.
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Top reviews from the United States

marycat
5.0 out of 5 stars A Witty Peek Behind Rose Damask Drapes
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book for its witty, knowing, detailed peek behind rose damask drapes into the lives of wealthy New Yorkers and French aristocrats in the 1910s, and the plot was as propulsive as the protagonist’s relentless drive for increasing wealth and social success. I read voraciously at the same time that I deplored Undine Spragg. I would actually put the book down in annoyance and complain to my partner about how spoiled, superficial, and selfish she was!

After being endlessly indulged first by her parents and then by her husband, Paul Marvell, I was thrilled when Undine finally meets her match. With unfailing urbane charm, her new husband, the Comte Raymond de Chelles, simply refuses to give into her whims and desires. Although I may have felt just a tiny bit sorry for Undine at this point, trapped in the stultifying traditions and habits of her aristocratic French in-laws, I also felt like she was getting her just deserts. She’d made her bed, let her lie in it!

But then I read Claire Messud’s marvelous essay “How Can We Read Edith Wharton Today?” and watched her lecture for the T Book Club. Thanks to her more balanced impression, I found a little admiration for Undine. At a time when women lacked power, she always finds a way to get what she wants. She is savvy, constantly learning the customs of whatever new society she aspires to shine in, and is resilient when she stumbles. Yes, she drove poor Paul to suicide, but even though I found him a sympathetic character (An aspiring writer! An adoring father!), he was undeniably a weak man. Does this excuse her selfish cruelty though? No. And there’s definitely no excuse for her neglect of her son.
24 people found this helpful
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Gettysburg Girl
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Writing - Ambitious Young Woman Wreaks Havoc On Everyone
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2014
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This was my first Edith Wharton book, and the lady certainly could write. This is somewhat of a saga and follows the social climbing exploits of an excessively spoiled young woman, Undine Spragg, who, for reasons unexplained, believes everyone owes her everything and anything she wants. She begins by making constant demands on her mother and father, eventually nearly ruining them financially. She marries and destroys the life of a naïve but accommodating young man with social standing she desires. She marries again and again in her quest for great wealth and position, disappointed in some way each time. Nothing is ever enough for Undie. She leaves upheaval and destruction in her wake throughout the book.

Wharton's writing is elegant perfection, but I was happy to have read this on my Kindle - where I was frequently checking vocabulary definitions. Otherwise I might have needed a dictionary on my lap as well as the book. I felt some of this was overdone to an extreme, but an author can't alter their 'voice'. If she wants to use obscure words, she certainly may. Perhaps I retained a few in my more normal brain.

Although an ambitious work and beautifully written, none of the characters were likeable. Undie's first husband, Ralph, was appealing, but, when negotiating their divorce and custody of their son, he does something beyond stupid just when he has information which could destroy her.

I've been told all of Edith Wharton's novels involve the social strata of turn-of-the-century New York City. While I love the era, I think it will be a while before I endeavor to pick up my second one. However, if you enjoy gorgeous writing, you should read this one.
20 people found this helpful
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C. Ritz
5.0 out of 5 stars A Victorian Paris Hilton
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2007
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The main character Undine is focused on having the best, most expensive clothing, furniture, jewelry and whatever else she can get her hands on no matter the cost, financially or otherwise on those around her who are forced to support her. Undine has an intense need to know all the important people when they are in style or just when it suits her interests to know them. These traits may remind you of some of the famous socialities today who are famous for almost no other reason than they are famous. Undine does nothing more than talk her way into money, which along with her beauty is her sole talent.

Undine does many things that may make the reader uncomfortable, and although I hesitate to label her as bad, she has a lot of attitude and total disregard for others. Her conquests create an engaging narrative fueled by her selfish personality. She takes advantage of people who love her - parents, men, other family - in a cold, calculating way that seems devoid of passion, except for one early affair that we only hear about after the fact.

One of Wharton's major points in this novel is if you have a society where women's place is not college or business, or some other trade that allows them to fend for themselves, they have few choices in life. Creatures like Undine can emerge in this environment. Her choices in life are similar to cut-throat business practices like that which the men around her do and even her father is involved in.

Although I have read Wharton's major novels, this an exceptional one because of the spectacular character of Undine and the quality of writing. Hard to put down.
7 people found this helpful
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Silber
3.0 out of 5 stars Status ,money , marriage and divorce
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2014
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This is the first book by Edith Wharton that I read. Her writing style is a bit drawn out but realistic. The main character Undine is a woman who wants money and status and does what ever she can to acquire it ( even ignoring her child). The first few chapters and the ending chapters I think are the best written and I enjoyed the most.
One person found this helpful
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Rose M Cole
5.0 out of 5 stars Great novel of an Egotist
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2023
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This novel is enthralling, but it’s premise is debatable .The title seeks to explain the beautiful female’s various alliances with wealthier men
To satisfy her wants to reach for Upper class status, and constant adulation. The title of the book
suggests that the custom of the country leaves beautiful women idle with no other occupation, though one rarely satisfying.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Anika
5.0 out of 5 stars Alles super
Reviewed in Germany on December 23, 2020
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Kam pünktlich an, alles super
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jean moore
1.0 out of 5 stars Libro electrónico defectuoso
Reviewed in Spain on March 11, 2019
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No opino sobre el libro sino sobre la calidad de este libro en concreto. No tiene sentido el texto - parece como si se hubiese retraducido al ingles desde un idioma extranjero. Frases sin verbos. Este product debería eliminarse porque es imposible leerlo. He solicitado devolución. Es la primera vez que me ocurre.
One person found this helpful
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SusannahB
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rapacious and Relentless 'Heroine'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2018
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The newly well-off Mr and Mrs Spragg arrive in New York with their spoilt, beautiful and socially ambitious daughter, Undine, who is convinced that once she is in New York she will be accepted into the best society. Initially, Undine’s ambitions are not realized, but when she meets Ralph Marvell and he falls headlong in love and proposes, it appears that Undine will now be accepted into one of the best families in New York. However, although Ralph’s family is a well-established one, he is not wealthy and his interests lie in cultural pursuits, not in making money - a situation that frustrates the culturally ignorant Undine who cannot appreciate Ralph’s love of art or understand his wish to become a writer. Initially Ralph mistakenly thinks he will be able to educate his young wife, but Undine is only interested in spending money that they do not have on expensive clothes and on being admired whilst wearing them - and, before long, our spoilt heroine begins to make life very difficult for Ralph, especially once they have a child, Paul, for whom Undine cares very little. And waiting in the wings is a just the type of man that Undine feels she should have married, only he is already married, an obstacle that does not prevent Undine from embarking on a mission to lure him away from his wife - after all, there are always the divorce courts, aren’t there? And Undine doesn’t stop here, but to reveal more would spoil the story for those who have yet to read it, so although I would very much like to discuss Undine’s further adventures, I must leave it here.

Deftly constructed and beautifully written, as one would expect from Edith Wharton, this astutely observed comedy of manners is full of interesting characters and gives the reader a very convincing portrait of New York society in the early nineteen hundreds; it is also a novel that focuses very much on divorce (Ms Wharton filed for a divorce herself the year this novel was published). The rapacious and almost unstoppable Undine is a marvellous creation (although not a very likeable one) and the force of her personality and her mercenary and manipulative behaviour is wonderfully conveyed to the reader - who reads on eagerly, keen to discover just how far Undine will go to get what she wants and wondering if she will ever get her comeuppance. As with the other novels I have of Ms Wharton's, this book is one that is going straight back into one of my bookcases to be read and enjoyed again.

5 Stars.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 21, 2015
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Couldn't put it down.
One person found this helpful
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Emily B.
5.0 out of 5 stars du grand Wharton
Reviewed in France on October 31, 2013
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On ne se lasse pas des grands écrivains, et Edith Wharton est l'un deux. Elle n'est jamais aussi formidable que lorsqu'elle évoque le New York qu'elle a si bien connu; et son style est aussi grinçant et élégant que dans the House of Mirth qui avec Ethan Frome reste mon préféré.
One person found this helpful
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