The House of Mirth

February 25, 2013
Actress Eleanor Bron played Aunt Julia in the 2000 film adaptation of this Edith Wharton classic, which she brings to life in an enjoyable audio production. At the start, Bron’s tones are cool and measured in keeping with heroine Lily Bart’s calculated manipulations in arranging her marriage to a fantastically rich—if fantastically dull—bachelor. But Lily’s efforts meet with little success, and Bron ably captures the desperate heroine as her suitor rejects her, her debts mount, and her options narrow. As Lily finds herself alone in what used to seem like a glittering world, Bron’s rendition of the character’s exhausted disappointment is pitch-perfect. This is a compelling audiobook with a memorable performance from Bron.

Ecclesiastes puts it this way: "The heart of fools is in the house of mirth," and Edith Wharton's 1905 classic reinforces this precept. Set in that time, the novel deals with the idle rich, save for protagonist Lily Bart, one of literature's great heroines, whose beauty and wit provide some, but not enough, compensation for her lack of money. Lily's misadventures create a shifting mix of poignancy, sadness, exhilaration, pity, even fear--for her and for the listener, who is well served in this audiobook by the truly marvelous narration of Anna Fields. She perfectly captures Lily and a largish cast, discriminating among them with such skill that you'll believe you're hearing a full-cast recording. Wharton's book, though dated, is fine, and Fields makes it even finer. T.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine