My opinion of the work, good or bad

Personally I did not enjoy Wharton's The House of Mirth for a variety of reasons.  Wharton occasionally made the conversations and scenes difficult to follow as she would transition so quickly from one to another. It was also at times hard to keep track of all the characters, as some would be introduced for a chapter and not mentioned for another several chapters.  The character development was good, but at times it was frustrating to see Lily Bart continuing to go back to her same ways time and again.  The Selden and Lily romance was a fun portion of the story, but the reader often never knew where the two actually stood, and the highlight of their romance being a kiss in a garden and Lily's death.  "It had always seemed to Selden that experience offered a great deal besides the sentimental adventure, yet he could vividly conceive of a love which should broaden and deepen till it became the central fact of life," (Wharton, 124).  The romance was also frustrating as Lily constantly was looking for men with wealth when she should clearly be with Selden.  The reader also must watch as Selden idealizes a woman who will never live up to his expectations and never love him in the way he wants her to.  Many of the minor characters seemed opportunistic from beginning to end, never changing or growing with the main cast.  Certain characters like Gerty Farish brightened the mood by never trying to use Lily or someone else for money or status.