This is book is definitely an apology for the harsh criticism of upper-class American society Wharton lobbed in House of Mirth. I was throughly disgusted with the characters in the first half of the book. I wanted to reach in and slap so many characters

However, the second half, Wharton redeemed herself. I found her depiction of a half-life very haunting. I think this book is great in terms of it’s ability of being able to make one feel suffocated along with the characters in a gilded cage. Modern people find such a life impossible because divorce is acceptable now!