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The Touchstone
 
 

The Touchstone [Paperback]

Edith Wharton
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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"'Every line is a joy.' - The Guardian" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

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First Sentence
Professor Joslin, who, as our readers are doubtless aware, is engaged in writing the life of Mrs. Aubyn, asks us to state that he will be greatly indebted to any of the famous novelist's friends who will furnish him with information concerning the period previous to her coming to England. Read the first page
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4.0 out of 5 stars Quick And Enjoyable, Feb 12 2009
By 
Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Touchstone (Paperback)
"The Touchstone" is Edith Wharton's second book and it was published in 1900. It was also published under the title "A Gift From The Grave". Her previous literary effort was a collection of short stories titled "The Greater Inclination" and this is a longer story, roughly what we would today call a novella. The author takes an interesting premise, and creates an engaging story which is easy to read and flows quickly. The reader doesn't want to put this book down.

The premise of the story is that a man (Glennard) of limited means is looking for a way to earn money so that he can afford to marry the woman he loves (Alexa Trent). Earlier in his life, he was loved by Mrs. Aubyn, who has become a famous author and since died. Thus he is in possession of the letters she wrote him, and due to her fame he could publish them, but that would not be proper in his mind, and he feels that he would not be worthy of Alexa Trent if he did such a thing.

Of course, the reader immediately knows that he is going to have to do this unthinkable thing, and the interesting part of the story is how it affects Glennard and his relationship with Alexa Trent, and with Flemel, the friend from whom he seeks the advice initially, and who helps him get the letters published. Glennard destroys one relationship, and nearly destroys the other, and often lashes out irrationally when the book is discussed. He is constantly trying to figure out who knows, and who Flemel might have told, and if his wife has figured it out, even when he tries to make it obvious that he has done the deed.

It is an interesting story about the turmoil which people go through when circumstances force them to act in a way which they wouldn't ordinarily do. Many people today might not understand why Glennard is even troubled by the idea of publishing the correspondence of someone who has passed on, but it certainly works well for the period in which it was written. This is even better than her first book, though I don't think it merits five stars.
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Amazon.com: 3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Contemporary - 100 years ahead of its time, Sep 3 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Touchstone (Hardcover)
Because I am adapting this novella for Warner Bros as a feature film, I'm interested in hearing what readers have to say about it. This is Wharton's first novella, written at a time when she was still developing her craft as a writer; the story can appear woefully underwritten. Still, the story is mesmerizing and dangerous, a Faustian tale of betrayal, greed and the consequences paid, and the more often I read through it, the more hidden meanings emerge. When you read it, think of the lover who sold Princess Diana's first secrets of their affair to the tabloids, and the consequences since. What ever happened to that man? Perhaps, like Stephen Glennard in "The Touchstone", he has gone mad from guilt, which, ironically enough, might prove he has a conscious after all.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Question: is this the same book as Ethan Frome?, Jan 21 2010
By Jeanette Broekhuis "bookie" - Published on Amazon.com
Just a question: is this the same book as Ethan Frome? (The picture shown is a cover of Ethan Frome.
 Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  3.5 out of 5 stars 
 
 
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