Deeply moving study of the tyrannical and rigid requirements of New York high society in the late 19th century and the effect of those strictures on the lives of 3 people. Vividly characterized drama of affection thwarted by a man's sense of honor, family, and societal pressures. A long-time favorite with readers and critics alike.
In a novel that has evoked comparison to Oedipus and Hamlet, Wharton tells the story of a mother and daughter whose infatuation with the same man sends shock waves through New York society.
