Burlington Public Library

Set among the elegant brownstones of New York City and opulent country houses like gracious Bellomont on the Hudson, the novel creates a satiric portrayal of what Wharton herself called "a society of irresponsible pleasure-seekers" with a precision comparable to that of Proust. And her brilliant and complex characterization of the doomed Lily Bart, whose stunning beauty and dependence on marriage for economic survival reduce her to a decorative object,...

"Thirty-year-old Sophie has longed to live in Manhattan but could never afford to do so--even with roommates. She has just been laid off from a job that she didn't love. When her 92 year old great aunt invites her to stay with her for a while--in her Fifth Avenue Apartment--Sophie jumps at the chance to move to the city. She decides to temp for a while to find out what industry she wants to go to next as she is burned out from the stress of working...