Definitely worth reading! Wanted to read this for some time and couldn’t put it down. Heartbreaking! Now we are in a 19th century setting for Jennie Gerhardt and basically what this book portrays is a modern day form of prostitution. Or potentially marriage. However, I must say that while Jennie needed the money and it was her intention to help her family out by conjoining with the Senator and Lester, she didn’t love either one at first. This leads me to another question: comparing several heroines from this same time period, who was the worst villian? Lily Bart? Undine Spragg? Sister Carrie? or Jennie Gerhardt? Lily was hardly a villian, she was virtious and that was what led to her eventual demise and situation. Undine Spragg takes it all as the most motivated, cut throat, stop at nothing villian, and Sister Carrie and Jennie seemed to be in the same place, although Sister Carrie was slightly more villianous. Excellent read, very well worth the time, and can easily be connected to many modern day women and their own situations, intentions and partnerships.