The ending of Book One of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton left me in shock! I don’t understand anyone’s decisions. Why can Lily not marry Selden even though we all know she wants to? Why did he leave? Why is Mr. Trenor so creepy? Why did Selden leave!? I have been left so confused, but yet still wanting to read and find out. Will she accept Mr. Rosedale’s marriage proposal? She certainly could use the money he could provide her with.

 The suspense was killing me. When Wharton wrote, “Lily tore it open with shaking hands, and read Bertha Dorset’s name below the message: ‘Sailing unexpectedly tomorrow. Will you join us on a cruise to the Mediterranean?” (Wharton 146) I was so surprised and did not see it coming at all. The twists and turns toward the end here are proving to me this book is not so bad after all. I am finding myself rather enjoying it, and I am not the kind of person who enjoys reading at all.