For having lived at that time, nobody better than the writer Edith Wharton to describe and retell the dramas of the period that became known as The Gilded Age. Her books are beautiful, and emotional and have already been adapted for cinema, such as The Age of Innocence or The House of Mirth, or even Ethan Frome. The Buccaneers, his unfinished and posthumously released book, had a TV adaptation in 1995, but in November 2023 it will have a new production on Apple TV Plus. The premiere is on the 8th.

The plot takes place in the 1870s and revolves around five rich and ambitious American girls in search of noble but impoverished English husbands, who are after fortune to keep their titles. Basically what is in the past of Downton Abbey and in the future of The Gilded Age. Among the girls, Nan Saint George is the main one, marrying the Duke of Trevenick. Very similar to the story of Consuelo Vanderbilt. Edith’s text went to when Lizzy Elmsworth invites Nan to a party at her house and, among the guests, is Guy Thwaite, Nan’s true love.

The book was published in 1938, with all 29 chapters ready, one year after the author’s death. The initial proposal was to go as far as 35, and 30 years ago, writer Marion Mainwaring “completed” the novel following Edith Wharton‘s detailed outline. Obviously there is polarity as to the outcome. For experts, The Buccaneers was designed to be the definitive work of the American writer.

The term “buccaneers” refers to pirates, but the pirates “approved” by the British who attacked the Spanish colonies and the navigations between America and the Caribbean, that is, the British buying “stolen products”, which makes sense when young women are sent to “seasons in London” in search of husbands and titles, having to face the rigidity of British society, as well as its prejudices.

In the new version of Apple Tv Plus, the cast includes names like Christina Hendricks, from Mad Man, as Mrs. Saint George and a cast of young stars, like Alisha Boe, from 13 Reasons Why, and Kristine Frøseth, among others. Behind the scenes is an all-female creative team, led by showrunner Katherine Jakeways and directed by Susanna White. Anticipation is high, especially for those who enjoy period content and will be recently lacking in The Gilded Age. Can we toast?

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