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.

Narrated to Perfection

Newland Archer, one of Old New York society's crowned princes (so to speak) is overjoyed about his recent engagement to the perfect May Welland. She too has a perfect pedigree, is a pretty young rose just starting to come into bloom, is innocent and beyond reproach in every way, well trained to be the ideal dutiful wife. But when he gets better acquainted with May's spirited and independent-minded cousin Ellen Olenska, just recently returned from Europe and scandalizing all of New York with her revealing dresses and foreign way of expressing herself and behaving, Newland is at first shocked and then completely taken over with passionate love. So much so that he is in fact determined to drop May and marry the countess Olenska instead. What he forgets to take into account is that his desire to embrace a life of freedom and equality will not be tolerated by his peers. A wonderful look at New York's upper crust in the 1870s, whose lives revolve around being seen at the opera and inviting the right people to dinner parties. Wharton exposes a world she knew firsthand from the distance of the 1920s, and what she shows us is just how regulated life was among the elite in a New York which was cosmopolitan, but prided itself on it's rigid and old fashioned conventions. Because this is Wharton, we know this love story is not likely to end with a Happily Ever After, but along the way she touches on interesting themes and presents us with a fascinating cast of characters who may not be likeable, but don't lack for entertainment value. A story I will definitely revisit in future. This audiobook version was narrated to perfection by David Horovitch and is definitely recommended.

Return to the Age of Innocence

Would you consider the audio edition of The Age of Innocence to be better than the print version?

I did not read the printed version of The Age of Innocence, but I did see the movie. I am one who typically watches movies first before reading books. I get extremely disappointed by reading the extraordinary details in the book and then the made-for-movie creative license taken by directors is unnerving. This case is no different, I was beyond thrilled with the book . The level of detail allows you to visualize each seen, feel the atmosphere of the rooms, the cool of the carriage rides in the evening, and the heat of unfulfilled passion.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Age of Innocence?

I cannot get out of my head the near encounter between Ellen Olenska and Newland Archer the night before she left to return to Europe. I completely appreciated this book for its moral integrity during The Age of Innocence but experienced the exact same reaction at the end as I did at the end of Gone with the Wind. I found myself frustrated and saying "And that's the way this ends???" for days after I completed the book.

What does David Horovitch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voice to listen to, although some pronunciations were awkward and were inconsistent with his accent.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The cunning surprise of May Welland Archer

Life not long ago

Edith Warton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for this book. I listened to the audible version. Its eye- opening to see how quickly times have changed. And in some ways human behavior hasn't changed so much. The characters were in the late 1800s with no modern conveniences or technology. They were wrapped up in giving the proper appearances. Women had a very secondary role and divorce was a scandal. Morals and the proper way to do things was the most important. So much was hidden and kept secret. But the human element of romance and drama is still the same.

a wonderful period drama

Not usually a listener to this genre, but am a fan of author's ghost stories. Enjoyed it , something wonderfully old fashioned.

I love this book

I have always loved this story. I can listen to it all day. performance was great.

Age of Innocence-

I listened to this book after it was mentioned in the Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen. The author, Edith Wharton was very good, the narrator, David Horovitch, was very good. The audio was not so good. I always had to turn up or down my player to hear when the Narrator was speaking in soft tones. This was annoying. I have not had to do this but one other time when I was listening to a book. This issue takes away from the overall enjoyment.

Would I recommend listening to this book? Only if the audio was cleaned up.

wonderful!

This narrator is fantastic and perfect for this wonderful classic! I wanted it to go on.

Lovely

I finished over the weekend. I had no trouble keeping the characters and settings straight, or following the plot. It was very enjoyable.

Powerful account of social constriction.

Witty, penetrating depiction of the gilded age and its hypocrisies., told through the inner life of the central character. Masterfully written, Wharton gives us a dramatic story of a glittering, rigid world, its psychological underpinnings, and ultimately, its destructivity.

it took a lot of determination to get through this

Not a fan. The story drug along. And the narrator would drop to a near whisper so often and cranking up my car's stereo to the max sometimes still couldn't get it loud enough to hear what he was saying.