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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

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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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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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 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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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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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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