Bunner Sisters Edith Wharton Books
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"Bunner Sisters," written in 1892 but not published until 1916 in Xingu and Other Stories, takes place in a shabby neighborhood in New York City. The two Bunner sisters, Ann Eliza the elder, and Evelina the younger, keep a small shop selling artificial flowers and small handsewn articles to Stuyvesant Square's "female population." Ann Eliza gives Evelina a clock for her birthday. The clock leads the sisters to become involved with Herbert Ramy, owner of "the queerest little store you ever laid eyes on." Soon Ramy is a regular guest of the Bunner sisters, who realize that their "treadmill routine," once so comfortable, is now "intolerably monotonous."
Bunner Sisters Edith Wharton Books
*spoilers*A compelling, heartbreaking little novella about two sisters struggling to eek an existence as small shopkeepers on the margins of late nineteenth-century society in New York. Even though I knew it was going to end in tears, part of me kept hoping against hope that everything would turn out for Evelina and her sister Ann Eliza, who is willing to sacrifice her own chance at happiness for her self-absorbed younger sibling.
Ann Eliza tries hard to be content with her lot and she refuses to tempt fate by wishing for more, believing that if she dares to express dissatisfaction with the meagre things she has in life, that these things will be taken away. All of her dreams are reserved for her sister Evelina, who she hoped would marry and have a family of her own instead of whiling away her days in a gloomy shop in a seedy part of town. When the story opens it seems that both sisters will spend the rest of their days here but then a chance encounter with a lonely clock maker dramatically changes the course of their lives.
Ann Eliza is the first to meet Herman Raby when she buys Evelina a clock for her birthday. She immediately senses his loneliness and for the first time starts to imagine a difference future for herself. Her dreams are dashed when Evelina, who has become desperate after her only suitor disappeared without explanation years earlier, sets her own sights on him. Ann Eliza struggles to quell her own desires and subvert them into happiness for her sister and her inner conflict is very realistic. She acts on the belief that altruism has to be rewarded, and her reward for her self-sacrifice is supposed to be Evelina's contentment. Herman Raby, however, is not the man they thought he was and his feckless ways lead to their downfall.
Wharton writes with great compassion and insight about people from all walks of life, including those on the margins. The Bunner sisters want so little to be happy and yet they never find the security and love that they seek, instead living and dying in quiet obscurity like so many. It' a sad but powerful little book that reminded me of why Edith Wharton is one of my all-time favourite authors.
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Bunner Sisters Edith Wharton Books Reviews
Interesting because Wharton wrote it and it reflects drug addiction at the turn of the century. Sad story, but even, and cool historical anecdotes embedded in it. Quick read. It is like a sketch.
This novella is unlike the other Wharton novels I've read, no high class society here. It's focused on two shop owning sisters trying to make it in New York. A german clock repairman enters the picture and turns their lives awry. The story at certain points is a bit frustrating to read, the older sister is a bit too selfless and I found myself wanting to yell at her.
When I come across other Wharton fans I'm always surprised at how few have read Bunner Sisters. Though it is not a light and fluffy story filled with socialites, Wharton tackles drug addiction and sacrifice with her exquisite prose. I've read Bunner Sisters several times over the years, always in winter (and for the first time now on my Android phone), and each time it only gets better.
Wonderful novella, closest to ETHAN FROME in that it deals with poorer people and not the wealthy or elite. Deep, personal, readable, empathetic characterization. Dark and compelling. Fast read.
I am not a great Wharton fan but recognize her value in American literature. This is not an enjoyable read. A life that is, if not happy is at least meaningful, changes for the worse. I think all writers provide some value. If you feel a need to read her work, this is not the place I would suggest starting. The book is well written. If I were a professor of American literature, the chances are I could give reasons to read this book. I am not so consider my objections to the book accordingly.
A short story (read in a few hours or less) about the small lives of two sisters. Focuses on love, dissapointments, and financial struggles. There is a bit of a twist I didn't see coming. Overall, I think of the book like an independent movie. Independent movies often seem to focus on just a snippet of someone's life. The scope is usually small, the setting within a small area, the plot plays out within days or even hours, and often has an open-ended conclusion. Bunner Sisters takes place over a few years, but you are still left with the feeling that we've just seen a small scrap of their lives. It's a little sad but because it's so short and because our main character Ann Eliza is resigned, almost indifferent about her circumstances, you are left feeling the same about the whole story- indifferent.
Really surprised that this little novella isn't more well known. This is a poignant tale of two sisters their daily trials and tribulations as they live out their lives in genteel poverty in an attempt to keep their livelihood afloat.
Have to admit that I did start to tear up towards the end of the novella. Found this to be a moving story that reads with much more depth than is found in many novella length reads. Time well spent, a little gem.
*spoilers*
A compelling, heartbreaking little novella about two sisters struggling to eek an existence as small shopkeepers on the margins of late nineteenth-century society in New York. Even though I knew it was going to end in tears, part of me kept hoping against hope that everything would turn out for Evelina and her sister Ann Eliza, who is willing to sacrifice her own chance at happiness for her self-absorbed younger sibling.
Ann Eliza tries hard to be content with her lot and she refuses to tempt fate by wishing for more, believing that if she dares to express dissatisfaction with the meagre things she has in life, that these things will be taken away. All of her dreams are reserved for her sister Evelina, who she hoped would marry and have a family of her own instead of whiling away her days in a gloomy shop in a seedy part of town. When the story opens it seems that both sisters will spend the rest of their days here but then a chance encounter with a lonely clock maker dramatically changes the course of their lives.
Ann Eliza is the first to meet Herman Raby when she buys Evelina a clock for her birthday. She immediately senses his loneliness and for the first time starts to imagine a difference future for herself. Her dreams are dashed when Evelina, who has become desperate after her only suitor disappeared without explanation years earlier, sets her own sights on him. Ann Eliza struggles to quell her own desires and subvert them into happiness for her sister and her inner conflict is very realistic. She acts on the belief that altruism has to be rewarded, and her reward for her self-sacrifice is supposed to be Evelina's contentment. Herman Raby, however, is not the man they thought he was and his feckless ways lead to their downfall.
Wharton writes with great compassion and insight about people from all walks of life, including those on the margins. The Bunner sisters want so little to be happy and yet they never find the security and love that they seek, instead living and dying in quiet obscurity like so many. It' a sad but powerful little book that reminded me of why Edith Wharton is one of my all-time favourite authors.
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