Edith Wharton's novel reworks the eternal triangle of two women and a man in a strikingly original manner. The consequent drama, set in New York during the 1870s, reveals terrifying chasms under the polished surface of upper-class society as the increasingly fraught Archer struggles with conflicting...

Edith Wharton's novel reworks the eternal triangle of two women and a man in a strikingly original manner. The consequent drama, set in New York during the 1870s, reveals terrifying chasms under the polished surface of upper-class society as the increasingly fraught Archer struggles with conflicting obligations and desires.