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!
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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
35. A 2020 Gift Guide for every literary taste
34. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and twisty, atmospheric mystery novels
33.5 Discussing the new Netflix adaptation of Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, starring Lily James and Armie Hammer
33. Reading challenges and books for every fall reading mood with Courtney Wallace, The Incessant Bookworm
32. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and eerie books to read with the lights on
31. Short Story Club: Horror Story by Carmen Maria Machado and spooky book recommendations
30. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and witchy books to read this fall
29. Campus novels to read in the fall and why we love books about school
28. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, books by Indigenous authors, and intergenerational family stories
27. Anticipated Fall 2020 Reads and backlist books to pair with them
26. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and books about The American Dream
25. Quarterly Favorites: The Best Books We Read in Summer 2020
24. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy novels for readers who love strong characters and complex worlds
23. On Campus with Novel Pairings, a preview of our back to school fall season and books that feel like Autumn
22. Like Water for Chocolate and mouth-watering fiction books about food, cooking, and romance
21. Book & Wine Pairings with Jamise Harper and book recommendations from our recent reads
20. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and romantic Black feminist heroines
19. Short Story Club: All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury and descriptive dystopian novels
18. The Odyssey by Homer and mythology retellings for adventurous readers
17. Buzzy Summer Books and backlist titles to read while you wait on your library holds
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