First published 2006
Lily Bart moves through Manhattan's upper-class ballrooms and parlors, a woman weaponized by beauty but trapped by social expectations. Raised to be a strategic bride, she refuses to settle for a loveless marriage of convenience, even as her financial situation grows desperate. Her independence threatens her standing: each social misstep erodes her carefully constructed reputation, pushing her closer to financial ruin. Gambling debts, romantic miscalculations, and rigid social codes close in around her. With each choice, Lily challenges the unwritten rules of her world—but at what cost to herself?
Genres: fiction, classics, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, tragedy
Setting: New York
Period: Gilded Age
351 pages · Paperback · Virago UK