House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Lily Bart, a well born, beautiful, educated but impoverished woman, living in New York's high society around the turn of the century, where the one aim in a woman's life is to 'snare' a husband, preferably a rich one.  As her 29th year approaches her prospects become slimmer.  The book highlights the gender gap, where women were not expected to 'do' anything to ensure their future except to marry and if this didn't happen - what then?  If you had no family or money to support you -  a slow decent from privilege to a tragic, lonely existence on the margin of society.  

Ms Wharton's beady, critical eye scythes through high society where petty infractions of perceived rules were ruthlessly judged, exclusion and expunction from the social circle where the consequences.  If you don't fit, aren't rich enough or make a social mistake, that's it you're out.  Especially if you are a woman. Men or rich people could flout the rules as much as they wish.  Lily colludes in her downfall by falling into debt, playing cards for money (and losing) and flouting convention by meeting  a man alone.  All which play into her downfall.
Slow to get going many didn't finish this book.

Words used to describe it:   overwritten, snobby, overt antisemitism, cruel, frustrating 

Marks out of 10:  between 6 - 8

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Exit West by Moshim Hamid

Cindy can get copies of the book from Nomad Books

Next Meeting 

5 April 12 Lysia St - hosted by Moira

Rabbit by John Updike

Not an American dystopian novel but and American dystopian life.  The book depicts 3 months in the life of a 26 year old former high school basketball player, Harry 'Rabbit' Angstrom, in a loveless marriage, boring job and his attempts to escape this life of mundanity.  On the spur of the moment he leaves his wife and drives south to his home town trying to regain some of his high school glory days and find the spark in life that has left.  The novel goes on to describe the vicissitudes of Harry's life, how he changes it, the people and women.  
Updike says of his book that "My subject is the American Protestant small-town middle class.  I like middles. It is in middles that extremes clash, where ambiguity restlessly rules".  He goes on to say that when he "looked around in 1959 he saw a number of scared dodgy men who could not make commitments, men who peaked in high school and existed in a downward spiral.  Their idea of happiness was to be young.  Thus Rabbit, Run was born".
This book was found by many to be 'boring' by others to be beautifully descriptive and others just middling.  It wasn't an easy read, but did generate some interesting discussions about mid America , the cultural changes that were going on.

Words used to describe it:  Groundhog Day, depressing, wanting to portray something dismal in beautiful writing, great characterization, of it's era, forensically detailed,

Marks out of 10:  between 5 - 9 so very varied

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House of Mirth by Edith Wharton