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The Edith Wharton Library

Edith Wharton

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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  • 54 episodes
  • daily
  • Avg 16 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S20 · E11
    Yesterday · 19 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 11

    In which Pauline Manford, beset by a sense of moral and emotional weariness, encounters a fervent advocate of new spiritual remedies and experiences a brief but invigorating release from her frustrations. Meanwhile, a tentative renewal of domestic...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E12
    Yesterday · 21 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 12

    In which Pauline, newly fortified by a fashionable healer’s ministrations, confronts the unsettled spirits of her family and in-laws with calm resolve, seeking to soothe the restlessness of Lita and the worries of those around her. She ventures to...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E9
    Friday · 12 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 9

    In which Pauline grapples with the uneasy contradictions of her public roles and the intimations of a restless private life, as she prepares and delivers a carefully balanced speech before a devoted assembly of mothers. The day closes with a quiet...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E10
    Friday · 18 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 10

    In which the observant Manford wrestles with the enigma of Lita Wyant, whose restless charm and shadowed life contrast sharply with the ordered world he knows, drawing him into reflections on youth, freedom, and the subtle discord in newly formed...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E8
    Thursday · 23 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 8

    In which Pauline Manford contends with the disenchantment following her own ball, grappling with familial negligence, social obligations, and the complexities of financial and moral entanglements among her acquaintances. Amidst the relentless pace of...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E7
    Thursday · 16 min

    Twilight Sleep Chapter 7

    In which the glittering intricacies of a well-orchestrated ball reveal the carefully measured social dances of Mrs Manford’s circle, encircling the restless Lita Wyant and the enigmatic Ardwin who seeks to draw her into a new, artistic world. The...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E6
    Wednesday · 19 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E5
    Wednesday · 22 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E4
    Tuesday · 22 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E3
    Tuesday · 18 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E2
    Monday · 18 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S20 · E1
    Monday · 19 min

    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...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E29
    September 20 · 19 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 29

    In which Susy is awakened by a sense of urgent duty that compels her to prepare the small Fulmer household for a sudden departure, all the while grappling with the tender attachments and responsibilities her charges inspire. This delicate morning...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E30
    September 20 · 10 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 30

    In which the Lansings embark on a somewhat chaotic yet tender second honeymoon with their lively brood, navigating the small trials and innocent joys of travel and family life beneath the gathering winter sky. Amidst the warm domestic intimacy of...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E27
    September 19 · 9 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 27

    In which Susy and Strefford navigate the awkward intimacy of a shared solitude amidst the demands of their children and their own tangled histories, pondering the curious ease with which former attachments might transform rather than sever. Meanwhile,...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E28
    September 19 · 12 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 28

    In which a meeting long anticipated unfolds between two former intimates, their conversation marked by a poignant distance and unspoken resignations that cast a quiet shadow over memories once shared. As each reveals the changed circumstances that...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E26
    September 18 · 15 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 26

    In which Nick Lansing arrives in Paris with the purpose of securing his future separation from Susy, only to find himself haunted by her presence in the very streets he treads. Amidst the labyrinthine city and its indifferent bustle, he encounters a...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E25
    September 18 · 20 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part III Chapter 25

    In which Susy Lansing, amid the damp Parisian chill, undertakes the bustling stewardship of the Fulmer children with a blend of apprehension and growing affection, discovering in them a lively but ordered world of youthful intelligence and artistry....

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E24
    September 17 · 13 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part II Chapter 24

    In which Nicholas Lansing, burdened by the ennui of his current existence and haunted by memories of Susy, finds himself grappling with the complexities of love and freedom amidst the social manoeuvrings of his acquaintances. He encounters Coral...

    • Transcript
  • S19 · E23
    September 17 · 16 min

    The Glimpses of the Moon Part II Chapter 23

    In which Susy, wandering through the illuminated streets of Paris, confronts a startling sense of freedom mingled with loneliness and encounters Nelson Vanderlyn, whose candid reflections on divorce and renewal cast a soft light on the fragility of...

    • Transcript
Showing 1–20 of 54 episodes