The Age of Innocence

By: Edith Wharton

Narrated by: David Horovitch

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Countess Ellen Olenska, separated from her European husband, returns to old New York society. She bears with her an independence and an awareness of life which stirs the educated sensitivity of the charming Newland Archer, engaged to be married to her cousin, May Welland. Though he accepts the society's standards and rules he is acutely aware of their limitations. He knows May will assure him a conventional future but Ellen, scandalously separated from her husband, forces Archer to question his values and beliefs. With their love intensifying where does Archer's ultimate loyalty lie?

Wharton's audiobook is a love story that accurately portrays upper-class New York society in the late 19th century due to her insider's view of America's privileged classes. Having grown up in upper-class society, Wharton ended up becoming one of its most shrewd critics. Her depiction of the snobbery and hypocrisy of the wealthy elite, combined with her subtle use of dramatic irony, propelled The Age of Innocence to the position of an instant classic, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1921 and making Wharton the first woman to win the prize.

Narrator Biography

Having studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, David Horovitch has had a television career spanning over 40 years. One of his most notable roles was in 1984 as Detective Inspector Slack in the first BBC Miss Marple adaptation The Body in the Library. Due to the success of his character, he returned for four Christmas specials. He has had roles in other shows such as Just William (1994), Foyle's War (2002) and Wire in the Blood (2005) as well as film appearances in The Young Victoria (2009), 102 Dalmatians (2000) The Infiltrator (2016) and Mike Leigh's Mr Turner (2014). A long time star of the stage, in 2015 he played the role of George Frideric Handel in All the Angels by Nick Drake at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. As well as narrating numerous audiobooks, David Horovitch also appeared in Audible's multicast drama The Oedipus Plays.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Loved this book!

I was sad the book ended. I loved stepping back in time and into late 1800’s New York. The language, the way she wrote, everything about this book was loved. Writers of today would do well to step back in time and learn from Edith Wharton. You don’t need salacious content to create a masterpiece.

Incredible Art

This treatment of Wharton’s amazing classic is matchless. The narrator, through his artful use of tone and volume, expresses with exquisite poignancy the soul-crushing effect the conventions of the “age” worked on the hearts of Archer and Ellen. Magnificent.

Fantastic

Loved every minute of it. Narration was very pleasant. Love the story, love the movie, love the book. Transports me to 1870 where I belong.

Pitch-perfect reading of a great novel of manners

I came to this book as an “assignment” for my book club, and was at first not much interested in reading a long-ish novel about the lives and customs of the indolent denizens of Gilded Age New York “society.” Wharton won me over, however. She has the trenchant psychological insight and the wittily ironic style of a Jane Austen (I found myself laughing aloud in delight more than once), overlaid with the kind of broader critical sociological perspective that characterized late-19th-century literary realism. In the modernist aftermath of WWI, when she wrote this novel, both sorts of writing were widely considered to be passé (Virginia Woolf, among others, dismissed her as a serious author), but it seems to me that this novel, at least, has stood the test of time. (Ironically, Woolf’s masterpiece To the Lighthouse actually owes a significant literary debt to The Age of Innocence — if interested, see John Colapinto’s fascinating little New Yorker essay “Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, and a Case of Anxiety of Influence” — it’s online.)

David Horovitch’s reading is, to my ear, pitch-perfect. It’s between one and three hours longer than the others on offer, but well worth the extra time. Wharton’s prose is exquisitely crafted, and it’s nice to have time to let the nuanced imagery and the subtle irony sink in. Horovitch contrives a distinct and generally appropriate voice for each character. In a book with such a range of characters, this helps the listener keep track of who’s who, while also adding texture and depth to the listening experience.

Just two (relatively minor) quibbles about DH’s delivery. (1) I would agree with some of the other reviewers that the repatriated American Ellen Olenska’s vaguely “Europeanized” accent is at times laid on a bit thick; and (2) though his American accents are in general quite convincing, he makes one recurring gaffe that is typical of Brits who are putting on the American: in reinstating the Rs that standard British speech has dropped, he often hypercorrectly adds an -R where none belongs. British Received Pronunciation happens to reintroduce a word-final -R when the following word begins with a vowel [“the cah-R–is in the garage”], and in some cases even inserts one for euphony [“Madame Olenska WAS out…,” but “Madame Olenska-R-IS out’]. British R.P. speakers tend to assume—wrongly—that this “intrusive” R is an intrinsic part of an American’s pronunciation of the word in question; thus, when doing an American voice, Horovitch typically says “Madame OlenskER” (regardless of context). It SOUNDS American, if you’re British, but it’s obviously quite grating to the ears of actual Americans. [HINT: look at the spelling; if there is no -R at the end of the word, don’t add one!!] —That said, I generally enjoyed the alternation between DH’s use of his own refined British accent, for Wharton’s refined narrative prose, and his “American” renditions of the various characters in passages of direct discourse.

Excellent

A story beautifully written and beautifully narrated. Tears running down my face as it ends.

Beautiful and beautifully told

I’ll be honest: I’m skeptical when people with English accents read stories by American authors. But I’m giving David Horovitch a pass because he did a PHENOMENAL job.

Beautiful Story, Richly orated

Such a momentous story, richly and quietly laid out. A dramedy of a century past, with its mores and manners laid out for viewing and, ultimately, rejection. Highly recommend

Disappointing ending

The book wasn't a bad listen, narration was good, just didn't like the ending, rather depressing.

Excellent narration

David Horovitch gave a superb narration. Story was slow in the beginning, but was overall very enjoyable.

Revealing and economical

Wharton knew the landscape well and got under its skin also. it is history of the cracking of certainties.