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Coming Home
Edith Wharton's Coming Home is a short story of seven chapters that centers around the life of a French man named Jean de R�champ during the war. The story is narrated in the first-personal pronoun and bases itself on reports about the atrocities committed by the German army.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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About the author
Edith Wharton
1,473 books5,306 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 23, 2018
A ambulance driver meets a wounded French soldier in the hospital. The young man is very worried about his parents, his younger sister and his fiance, whom he has not heard from for a long time. A German officer Sharlach, said to be a cruel man has ransacked other villagers, leaving death snd riuins in his wake. Another chance meeting finds once again the ambulance driver, encountering the young man who bears the last name of his village, Rechamp. They get permission to visit his home village on their way to pick up more of the wounded. They see the devastating destruction of the villages they pass, which causes Rechamp to worry about what he will find. What he finds isunbelievable and this will lead to an even more unlikely coincidence.
This was a very good, well done short. What is not said here is even more important than what is said .Although it leads to a rather predictable end, it was a satisfying and gratifying one.
This was a very good, well done short. What is not said here is even more important than what is said .Although it leads to a rather predictable end, it was a satisfying and gratifying one.
December 14, 2018
Here follows a free online link to the short story at Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24349/...
France during the First World War is the setting of this novella. Edith Wharton was in France during the war. She witnessed its consequences for the French people. It is of this she writes.
The story is told by an American aid worker. He had met up with a wounded French soldier, Jean Réchamp, at a Flemish camp hospital. Jean is alarmed by what he has heard of the destruction wrought by the Germans in the Vosges, where he lived; he is worried about his family and his fiancée at home. Jean had been mobilized at the start of the war and had not heard from them since. The American promised to help him if he could. They part and then meet up gain in Paris. In the interim, Jean’s wound is on the mend and he has heard from his family. They calm him, tell him their village was left unscathed and that all is fine. What he is told does not ring true. He wants to go back to his village and see with his eyes how they are. A promise made is a promise kept, and so it is arranged that Jean can follow along with the American. They will deliver supplies to second line ambulances and transport wounded needing advanced medical care back to hospitals. Where? Near Jean Réchamp’s home. What does he discover and what happens? That is the story.
I like how the story shows the ways in which the French suffered during this war by focusing on people’s behavior, both individual Germans and individual French. The scenario drawn is believable, albeit predictable.
***********
The Old Maid: The 'Fifties 5 stars
Bunner Sisters 4 stars
False Dawn 4 stars
Summer 4 stars
The Shadow of a Doubt: A Play in Three Acts 4 stars
The Reef 3 stars
Coming Home 3 stars
The Glimpses of the Moon 3 stars
The Marne 3 stars
Xingu 3 stars
The House of Mirth 3 stars
The Eyes 2 stars
The Age of Innocence 1 star
Ethan Frome 1 star
Fighting France. from Dunkerque to Belport TBR
French Ways and Their Meaning TBR
Edith Wharton TBR
France during the First World War is the setting of this novella. Edith Wharton was in France during the war. She witnessed its consequences for the French people. It is of this she writes.
The story is told by an American aid worker. He had met up with a wounded French soldier, Jean Réchamp, at a Flemish camp hospital. Jean is alarmed by what he has heard of the destruction wrought by the Germans in the Vosges, where he lived; he is worried about his family and his fiancée at home. Jean had been mobilized at the start of the war and had not heard from them since. The American promised to help him if he could. They part and then meet up gain in Paris. In the interim, Jean’s wound is on the mend and he has heard from his family. They calm him, tell him their village was left unscathed and that all is fine. What he is told does not ring true. He wants to go back to his village and see with his eyes how they are. A promise made is a promise kept, and so it is arranged that Jean can follow along with the American. They will deliver supplies to second line ambulances and transport wounded needing advanced medical care back to hospitals. Where? Near Jean Réchamp’s home. What does he discover and what happens? That is the story.
I like how the story shows the ways in which the French suffered during this war by focusing on people’s behavior, both individual Germans and individual French. The scenario drawn is believable, albeit predictable.
***********
The Old Maid: The 'Fifties 5 stars
Bunner Sisters 4 stars
False Dawn 4 stars
Summer 4 stars
The Shadow of a Doubt: A Play in Three Acts 4 stars
The Reef 3 stars
Coming Home 3 stars
The Glimpses of the Moon 3 stars
The Marne 3 stars
Xingu 3 stars
The House of Mirth 3 stars
The Eyes 2 stars
The Age of Innocence 1 star
Ethan Frome 1 star
Fighting France. from Dunkerque to Belport TBR
French Ways and Their Meaning TBR
Edith Wharton TBR
August 4, 2014
I can't remember where or when I heard about this short story, a digitised version of which is available at no cost from a number of sources. However, it's been reviewed by my GR friend Jan, so it's probably something I learned about from her. If so, thank you Jan! Unfortunately, I don't know the background to the work, although I do know that Edith Wharton was living in France during WWI and wrote a series of articles about her experiences, Fighting France. from Dunkerque to Belport, so she clearly knew something about the impact of the war on the French people and countryside.
The narrative is in the voice of an American relief worker who tells the writer about what happened when he accompanied a wounded French officer back to his home in the east of France, which is in an area previously occupied by the German army. The officer is worried because he hasn't heard from his family or his fiancée since he was mobilised in 1914. The devastating effect of the war on local villages and their inhabitants is clearly and unsentimentally described and the story is infused with a sense of dread as the characters get closer and closer to the French officer's village. There's also a twist at the end which is predictable, but still packs a punch.
An intersting snapshot of wartime France, this story is worth the very short amount of time it takes to download and read.
February 26, 2017
A different track for Wharton. She can write about war with as much skill as she shows writing about high society. This one was not so much a satire as a showing of the horror of war.
It was also interesting to see the different reactions of the two men when they found out who it was who occupied the injured man's home, as well as seeing the differences in how that captain acted in the home he occupied and in general.
The ending was interesting, to see how the narrator reacted to his companions supposed action. One that won't soon leave you.
It was also interesting to see the different reactions of the two men when they found out who it was who occupied the injured man's home, as well as seeing the differences in how that captain acted in the home he occupied and in general.
The ending was interesting, to see how the narrator reacted to his companions supposed action. One that won't soon leave you.
February 24, 2014
Very moving at times. Originally published in a magazine. One of a series of books republished because they were deemed too important to lose.
The story is about what happened to the village and villa of Rechamp. A nasty commander who destroyed the properties of many, apparently just because he could. And the basis for the story is an interview with an ambulance driver on his return to Paris.
There is discussion of German atrocities and of people on the line worrying about what was happening to their home and family. And what can happen to someone who finds out about his home.
The story is about what happened to the village and villa of Rechamp. A nasty commander who destroyed the properties of many, apparently just because he could. And the basis for the story is an interview with an ambulance driver on his return to Paris.
There is discussion of German atrocities and of people on the line worrying about what was happening to their home and family. And what can happen to someone who finds out about his home.
May 13, 2017
3.5, really. Damn you, rating system!
December 14, 2018
A short story about WWI by the author of Ethan Frome; an unnecessarily morbid love story I remember from English class senior year of high school. Not sure what the moral of the story was supposed to be.
March 17, 2020
I didn’t realize this was a short story. I have most of her works downloaded in a free version and turn to them when I have a lull in my reading. I feel her language never gets dated. I also didn’t know about her involvement in WWI until recently so this body of her work is new to me.
May 17, 2022
Entertaining listening 🎶🔰
Another will written British World War I short story by Edith Wharton about the French front and a town there. I would recommend this novella to readers of historical novels. Enjoy the adventure of novels 👍🔰 and books 📚. 2022 👒😤
Another will written British World War I short story by Edith Wharton about the French front and a town there. I would recommend this novella to readers of historical novels. Enjoy the adventure of novels 👍🔰 and books 📚. 2022 👒😤
May 15, 2017
Lo sto leggendo nella versione tradotta da Nicola Manuppelli ed edita da Mattioli 1885.
https://www.amazon.it/ritorno-casa-Ed...
La crudeltà della guerra, e della vendetta, resa in poche pagine e senza alcun commento. Un grande esempio di scrittura.
https://www.amazon.it/ritorno-casa-Ed...
La crudeltà della guerra, e della vendetta, resa in poche pagine e senza alcun commento. Un grande esempio di scrittura.
June 19, 2014
Edith Wharton was American but she was living in France duuring World War I and the subject found it's way into several of her stories. This short book was about a small French village, Rechamp, and a soldier who lived there and the aftermath of it's occupation and destruction. Edith Wharton was an amazing writer and her body of work was unsurpassed in her time.
April 23, 2013
Liked it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews