“Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton sort of makes me feel bad for rich people back in the day. Wharton tears the old New York elite up one side and down the other without actually criticizing them. Haters gonna hate, I guess. Wharton presents the world with this plot of burning love and betrayal. It could happen in any economic class, but apparently the rich suck, so she wrote a whole book emphasizing the upper class. It’s a real crappy move if you ask me.

The main character, Newland Archer — great name right? — is engaged to be married to a young, innocent girl, May Welland, who he has always planned to marry. Of course, there has to be a floosy who comes in and ruins everything, so enter May’s cousin Ellen Olenska. She’s involved in a fresh scandal that has rocked the rich. She has left her husband. The more Archer comes to admire and hang around Ellen, the more he grows to love her. Archer does what he thinks is right and marries May. He tries to get over Ellen but can’t, so they have an affair. I feel bad for May, because it’s hinted that she knew of the love her husband and cousin shared the entire time. She tells Ellen that she’s pregnant as a “back off my man” signal.

There’s a crazy amount of drama wrapped in this book. Drama — as I’ve stated before — that could happen to anyone from any class. The characters were all right. I wanted to punch Archer in the face for being an adulterous jerk. He never should have gotten married if he was just going to cheat on May, but I guess that’s what society does to you. I liked May, even though she was just a result of what society wanted her to be. I did feel sorry for her, but she has something I can’t quite put into words that runs through her that the characters don’t get in the book. I wanted Ellen (*cough cough hussy cough cough*) to leave. I guess she doesn’t realize that she is screwing her cousin over with her love affair. I like that Wharton didn’t openly condemn the rich in this novel. It’s left up to the reader to decide how to feel about this class of people that no one can be a part of (because they’re dead).

There was a movie adaptation of the book in the ‘90s, but it wasn’t anything to get excited about. I think if a production company made another adaptation in present day, their movie would be kick butt. The whole concept of this book screams “Gossip Girl” to me, but set in the 1920’s. Everyone loves a good scandal.