I'm writing only in the hope of counteracting the effect of the only other review of this American classic. The Rise of Silas Lapham is one of my favorite American novels. It is rich in characterization; the motives and idiosyncrasies of members of the Lapham and Corey families are carefully and deeply drawn. It is also a novel about relationships within families, relationships based on love and mutual respect, if not always wisdom. It exposes the divide--the reasons for it and its consequences--between old Boston aristocracy and the newly wealthy. The friction between the two classes is specific to the setting in time and place but universal in its application. This is also a meta-novel: Howells dramatizes the negative effects, as he sees them, of romanticizing in popular novels, and he shows us a world in which the realism he espoused is the truth. But it\'s the characters, their attempt to navigate a life fraught with danger and suffering, who will stay with you.
Highly recommended
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Highly recommended