The house of mirth / Edith Wharton ; with an introduction by Nina Bawden

The beautiful Lily Bart lives among the nouveaux riches of New York City - people whose millions were made in the railroads, shipping, land speculation, and banking. In this morally and asethetically bankrupt world, Lily, age twenty-nine, seeks a husband who can satisfy her cravings for endless admiration and all the trappings of wealth. Her quest comes to a scandalous end when she is accused of being the mistress of a wealthy man. Exiled from her familiar world of artificial conventions, Lily finds life impossible

KB2016

First published in 1905, the House of Mirth portrays the moral, social and economic constraints on a woman who dared to claim the privileges of marriage without assuming the responsibilities.