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The Custom of the Country

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The Custom of the Country

By: Edith Wharton
Narrated by: Grace Conlin
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About this listen

 One of Edith Wharton's most acclaimed works, The Custom of the Country is a blistering indictment of materialism, power, and misplaced values. Its heroine, Undine Spragg, is one of the most ruthless characters in all of literature, as selfishly unscrupulous as she is fiercely beautiful. As she climbs the class ladder through a series of marriages and affairs, she shows little concern for who she has to step on. Her rise to the top of New York's elite society provides a poignant and scathing commentary on the unquenchable ambitions of America's nouveau riche.Public Domain (P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Romance

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Critic reviews

"Of all Edith Wharton's novels, The Custom of the Country is my absolute favorite....Grace Collin's reading of Blackstone's unabridged version is splendid, her voice fruity, elegant and utterly ruthless." ( Forbes)
Named a Staff Pick, Selected by the Staff at the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the New York Public Library, November, 2007
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I really enjoyed this book. I have read 6 books by the author starting with The Age Of Innocence and have thoroughly enjoyed them all and this as much as Age Of Innocence perhaps my favourite of all that I have ever read- and that’s a lot!

A terrific book

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This is a beautiful novel by Edith Wharton that is read wonderfully by Grace Conlin. I initially found it a challenge to engage with, a tale of a spoiled woman in the upper echelons of New York seemed rather dull subject matter, but after persevering with a few chapters I was utterly fascinated by the protagonist, Undine (in all her horridness!) and the surrounding characters. The plot of the novel is relatively simple but what really makes this novel memorable is Wharton’s remarkable ability to create characters out of her social observations but never to condemn them as humans, rather to explain how people become certain ways - a quality which made the characters all the more intriguing. I was surprised by how emotionally I engaged with this book, feeling the anger and sadness and humour intensely - largely the result of Wharton’s ability to create such full bodied and authentic characters. Initially this book may seem dull but do stick with it - it is worth it. Despite my initial skepticism, I think this might have become one of my favourite novels. Beautifully written and beautifully narrated.

Beautifully read and worth persevering with

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Who was your favorite character and why?

I don't know that I had a favourite character - there were lots of characters I felt profound sympathy for, but I don't think there were any really admirable people in the book.

What three words best describe Grace Conlin’s voice?

Staid, hesitant, satisfactory.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Something about how far someone could go for what they want.

Any additional comments?

The main character, Undine Spragg, is completely selfish and ruthlessly sets out to get what she wants (money and social standing) without any concern for anyone else's health or wellbeing. She occasionally exhibits a bit of sentimental concern, but it has no real depth. Her beauty and manipulation do get her what she wants, but then those things don't fulfill her for long and she starts plotting her next selfish moves... However, astonishingly, I spent quite a lot of the book feeling sorry for her. She is simply completely unaware of what is really important in people's lives (trust, caring, etc). I suppose she's a psychopath. I was stunned at her coldness, and yet I pitied her inability to see beyond the narrow confines of her overwhelming and selfish needs. I have never read or listened to anything by Edith Wharton before, but I will definitely do so again.

Subtly but Extraordinarily Insightful

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The pitch of the narrator's voice is curiously monotonous and I nearly sent this book back on account of her bland and irritating tone. However, Wharton's rich prose describing the world of the horrible heroine, Undine Sprat was too seductive to let the drone of narration matter after the first quarter of the book. How one longs for some fate to overcome her! And then it comes over you that she is just as much a victim of the customs of the various countries she inhabits as the victims she tramples in her pursuit of her Will. Then when the end comes so suddenly and she is consigned to her own hell, you feel Wharton's indictment of society's mores more than Undine's own ambition. One of literature's most vivid female monsters.

Thought provoking and relevant

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Perhaps not Edith Wharton’s finest novel, but Undine Spragg takes your breath away . One if the great monster antiheroines in fiction. Her story is beautifully read by Grace Conlin with never a false note. A great performance.

Monster Mum

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didn't realize as I started listening that this would be her best book - so clear on the nature of America

cutting

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This is a great book full of beautiful observations and descriptions and with a compelling storyline. it's a shame the reader mispronounced dozens of words. There seems to have been no one editing. The reader clearly fails to recognise many words and blunders her way through. She does s fair job in the end but should have educated herself before embarking on a book that is far cleverer than she is.

brilliant novel

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I've already listened several times to this wonderful book, and it's great that Audible include it free for members.
But why, oh why, can't audiobook producers edit the chapter breaks appropriately?
After the most tragic and emotional moment of the whole story, the editor has cut the sound when the last word was barely finished - and then thrust us unfeelingly and thoughtlessly into the next chapter heading.
It was like pushing the author of their stool at the most poignant moment of a live reading - or chucking in the adverts at the most sensitive moment in a TV drama - don't we all shout at the TV when that happens?
Unfortunately this unbelievably bad editing style is common to a lot of the books I've bought from Audible, and it destroys the intimacy and feeling of involvement that is part of the way audiobooks work best. You'd think audiobook sellers would want to increase that feeling, not drive a car through it
And do audiobook producers (or Audible) really save that much money, by cutting out a few seconds of playback time?
When you experience this total jolt in your listening experience, it feels disrespectful and uncaring, and insults the writer and narrator as well. Grrr.
But please don't be put off this book, the other millions of seconds they didn't edit out of this book, are worth every bit of your money and your time!

Brilliant story & narrator but editing glitches

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My least favourite book by Edith Wharton, I found it totally uninteresting and abandoned it within an hour.

I gave up ...

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