Bondi Literary Salon Book Club: The Age of Innocence

Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our book club, hosted by Paul Twomey! In our gathering, we will discuss Edith Wharton's 1920s classic, The Age of Innocence.

WHEN: Wednesday, 9th September 2025, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: 

Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

Edith Wharton's acclaimed novel of love, duty, and half-known truths in Gilded Age New York society.

About the book: The Age of Innocence

Newland Archer and May Welland are the perfect couple. He is a wealthy young lawyer and she is a lovely and sweet-natured girl. All seems set for success until the arrival of May's unconventional cousin Ellen Olenska, who returns from Europe without her husband and proceeds to shake up polite New York society. To Newland, she is a breath of fresh air and a free spirit, but the bond that develops between them throws his values into confusion and threatens his relationship with May.

About the author: Edith Wharton

Edith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel The Age of Innocence.

About The host:

Paul Twomey is a relatively new member of the Bondi Literary Salon and has been grateful to discuss several thought-provoking books with the group. Not surprisingly, Paul loves to read (and has to as an academic) but wishes he had the memory of a Stephen Fry to retain it all. He tends to wear his eyes out on non-fiction (philosophy, history, politics & society) and ears out on fiction (mythology, historical fiction). He resonates with the word ‘vellichor’—the strange wistfulness of used bookstores (coined by John Koenig in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows)—and loves the magical, distinctive smells of new and old books.

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The Bondi Literary Salon endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction. 

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some home made chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.