In today’s episode, we’re wrapping up Wharton in Winter with a conversation about The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. We focus on Undine and question whether she’s a signature unlikable heroine or an anti-hero. Our conversation also digs into the other dynamic characters, themes of motherhood, greed, marriage, business, and Edith’s incredible writing. Every plot point builds to a bigger narrative in this timely classic. At the end of the episode, we share our complementary pairings , and we hope you add one to your TBR pile!
If you loved our extra nerdy discussion on the podcast today, we have even more content to enjoy over in our Novel Pairings Patreon community. Our Patreon is a great space to take part in public scholarship and talk about books with a smart, eclectic group of readers. Subscriptions start at just $5 a month, and yearly discounts are available. To learn more about our Patreon, visit patreon.com/novelpairings.
Shows Mentioned:
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Selling Sunset
Downton Abbey
Books Mentioned:
Italo Calvino
Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
There Is Confusion by Jessie Redmon Fauset
Emma by Jane Austen
Free Food For Millionares by Min Jun Lee
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore
Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz
One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
Wahala by Nikki May
Trust by Hernan Diaz
148. We can't wait to read these brand new summer 2024 books and backlist pairings
147. The limits of satire & A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
146. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
145. Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare with Traci Thomas
144. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
143. Seasonal book pairings for new releases in spring 2024
141. Bookish pairings for our favorite period dramas
140. Five tips for reading television and movies with a critical lens
139. The best, the backlist, and the buzziest books of 2023
138. The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges
137. Entering Edith Wharton's Gilded Age
136. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
135. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
134. Blind Owl by Sadeq Hedayat
133. The modern reader's guide to historical fiction
132. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
131. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
130. Backlist book pairings for an abundant Autumn reading season
129. What is public scholarship?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Write The Book: Conversations on Craft
Frankenstein
The Art of War
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends