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Book Review By Jack Goodstein
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

"The House of Mirth" is the story of Lily Bart, a young woman who is born into the proper New York society, but is a poor relation who must live off her relatives and friends. As such, it is imperative that she marry well. She has her sights set on a youn man who has money, and has him in her clutches, but she chooses to flirt with another man whom she finds more exciting. She loses her chance. Later she accepts financial help from the husband of a friend who expects a relationship in exchange, but she is unwilling. Now in debt, she begins to lose the good will of her friends and relatives, and very soon she finds herself forced to work. Since she really has no skills, she finds herself in an untenable position. "The House of Mirth" is the story of a woman beaten down by the role society has assigned to her.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 1600-1899
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance:
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - society

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
Misc setting

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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