The Glimpses of the Moon

By: Edith Wharton

Narrated by: Kate Harper

Nick Lansing and Susy Branch are young, attractive but impoverished New Yorkers. They are in love and decide to marry, but realise their chances of happiness are slim without the wealth and society that their more privileged friends take for granted. Nick and Susy agree to separate when either encounters a more eligible proposition.

However, as they honeymoon in friends' lavish houses, from a villa on Lake Como to a Venetian palace, jealous passions and troubled consciences cause the idyll to crumble.

©2009 BBC Audiobooks Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A Wonderful Discovery For Wharton Fans

Having read all of Wharton’s major works, some more than once, I was delighted to find this one. I loved Nick and Susie’s story but not the performance, which was stagey, sing-songy and uneven in loudness. If the book hadn’t been so good I would have abandoned it in annoyance.

Cute story, but not a masterpiece

I don’t claim to be a Wharton fan, but I have listened to the Age of Innocence and the House of Mirth again and again over the last few years, and thoroughly enjoyed both. I was really excited to get into this book, but…I can see why it is not rated at her best.
The theme and the characters are familar enough, and you can think of it as the light comedy version of the House of Mirth. However, there is very little meat in terms of character development and social critique, which were both so powerful in her more well-known work. It seems to me that Wharton’s sentiment has gotten in the way, and in wishing to give her characters a happy ending, she has lost her touch on this one. If you want a serious examination of marraige, money and society, you will be disappointed. If you want a lighthearted romantic comedy, you will find a very tame one, almost boring.

Uplifting delightful novel

As a relatively new Wharton devotee, I was happily surprised by this novel with its lively, perfectly pitched narration. It was a welcome break from Wharton's much darker stories about shallow, materialistic, destructive New Yorkers, aristocrats and noveau riche alike, who leave so many victims in their wake. In contrast, Glimpses of the Moon left me smiling like a classic romance novel should -- a triumph of true love over the relentless, empty pursuit of money and social status -- complete with a few Shakespearean twists and a deliciously happy ending. Bravo!

Not my favorite performance

Sorry, Kate Harper, but I kept picturing muppets talking whenever you do a man's voice. I blame the director, not you.

'The Age of Innocence' is one of my favorite novels, and I'm even pretty fond of 'The House of Mirth' right up until that miserable ending, so I was excited to get into this novel, which I've heard to be lauded as Wharton's masterpiece of the Roaring 20's. 'The Glimpses of the Moon' wasn't exactly disappointing. The characters are lively and sharply drawn, and this is pretty satisfying on a level that enjoys a good romance novel.

Besides the muppet voices, though, I think that my problem with this book is that I've seen this story way too many times. Girls were taking their futures into their own hands, but still letting their silly little hearts get in the way. Maybe in those days, it was fresh and exciting to suggest that a woman might enter into a sham marriage for business reasons, only to fall in love with her husband when it's seemingly too late. 90 years later, this is just about exactly the plot of movies like 'The Engagement' and 'The Wedding Date." Edith Wharton's version is at least more interesting, in that its' characters have more depth, and it wasn't so simple for me to figure out what choice I wanted the two protagonists to make in the end.

Speaking of the end, without giving away any spoilers, the last 30 seconds may have been my favorite part. Good ol' Edith Wharton really came a long way in the art of ending a story with a balance of subtle symbolism, realism and a that's-a-wrap-but-what-could-possibly-come-next? that keeps me, the reader, coming back for more.

Anyway, this book presents an interesting viewpoint that won't seem satisfying to today's feminists or yesterday's moralists: essentially, you CAN'T have it all, and trying to do so with your smarts will only complicate the matter.

A nice antidote to House of Mirth

As a happily married wife, mother of four, and teacher, I loved this story. I devour anything that Wharton wrote, but found myself frustrated while reading this as I saw many of the same themes found within House of Mirth. But the hopeful ending as opposed to the dreary one of House was much more to my liking. House seemed to say, “Life without money isn’t worth living. Love isn’t worth having if one must live in penury to obtain it.” This lovely little story argued the flip side of that coin. The love of family is worth more than diamonds and pearls. I especially liked it when Susie realized her perpetual lack of funds must be her payment for being blessed with so much love. It’s hokey, I know, and I can see how House was a higher quality piece of literature. But sometimes we need a happy ending!

A Bon Bon

This is a sweet, predictable piece of escapist chic lit. Yes, I did enjoy it on that level, but if you are looking for a story that has depth, characters that behave like real people or some food for thought move on to something else.

Great love story

Enjoyed the travel and the emotions
To be so rich as to be care free or just create it

Pleasant Read

I was waiting for the inevitable sad ending……… I loved this story.
It was a fun and interesting read.

Perfection

There isn’t one word in this book that falls short of perfection. Lovely and unforgettable.

Loved this. What a writer.

Wharton is a master at plot character miscommunication and love. I hadn’t read this earlier.