The Edith Wharton Library

Edith Wharton
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In The Edith Wharton Library, we open the drawing-room doors of another age and read the novels, tales, and travels in which society’s bright surfaces so often betray a darker design. Here are marriages arranged like treaties, fortunes that tremble at a whisper, and hearts that learn - too late - the cost of propriety. Each episode offers a full-length chapter reading, patiently and plainly delivered, for listeners who prefer their drama civilized, their comedy edged, and their ghosts the sort that appear most often in daylight.

  1. Episode 1

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 1

    In which a young woman encounters the bustling organisation of her mother’s tireless day, revealing a household devoted to duty and social causes yet strained by the pressures of relentless scheduling and generational differences. Observations of family dynamics unfold with gentle scrutiny, portraying warmth, impatience, and the quiet yearning for personal connection amid the ritualised whirl of New York society.

  2. Episode 2

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 2

    In which Mrs. Manford navigates the complex social currents stirred by her ex-husband’s cousin, the Marchesa Amalasuntha, whose troubled European ties bring exotic colour and occasional inconvenience to New York society. Amidst delicate social manoeuvres and whispered scandals, Pauline’s steadfast belief in spiritual uplift mingles uneasily with her strict sense of propriety and unyielding control over her ordered world.

  3. Episode 3

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 3

    In which the intricacies of modern married life unfold within a newly decorated, yet strangely impersonal, household, where Nona reflects quietly on the restless spirits dwelling beneath polished surfaces. The young couple, Jim and Lita, navigate the uneasy balance between appearances and unspoken tensions, all under the watchful gaze of family expectations and the subtle stirrings of discontent.

  4. Episode 4

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 4

    In which Nona Manford visits the faded and complex domain of Arthur Wyant, encountering the tangle of family relationships and old-world charm shadowed by present troubles, while navigating the delicate social undercurrents and her own simmering disquietudes. She finds herself drawn into a web of responsibility and whispered scandals, all the while contending with the confounding complexities of affection and duty as modern life presses close.

  5. Episode 5

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 5

    In which Dexter Manford, a diligent lawyer caught between professional pride and the subtle demands of his social milieu, wrestles with the uneasy intersection of duty, reputation, and domestic expectations. Amid whispered family tensions and the sterile comforts of his meticulously ordered life, he contends with the quiet pressures exerted by his wife and society’s ever-watchful gaze.

  6. Episode 6

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 6

    In which the elegant Pauline Manford presides over a brilliantly orchestrated dinner party, deftly blending the worlds of finance, art, and society with an assured hand that ensures everything runs smoothly beneath the soft glow of old silver and scattered flowers. Meanwhile, the assembled guests reveal subtle undercurrents of tension and unspoken yearnings, as thoughts wander towards familial bonds, social expectations, and the elusive search for meaning amid the trappings of modern life.

  • 6 Episodes

About

In The Edith Wharton Library, we open the drawing-room doors of another age and read the novels, tales, and travels in which society’s bright surfaces so often betray a darker design. Here are marriages arranged like treaties, fortunes that tremble at a whisper, and hearts that learn - too late - the cost of propriety. Each episode offers a full-length chapter reading, patiently and plainly delivered, for listeners who prefer their drama civilized, their comedy edged, and their ghosts the sort that appear most often in daylight.

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