The House of Mirth reveals Wharton’s unparalleled gifts as a storyteller and her clear-eyed observations of the savagery beneath the well-bred surface of high society
the writer's behaviour becomes increasingly irrational and his world spirals into chaos
Franklin's quiet calm later helps him to become an icon of adventure
is stabbed by a stiletto blade on the exact same spot
But she soon discovered she could make more money writing
The Sea Lady alice The House of Mirth revealsAilsa and Humphrey met as children by a grey, northern sea in post war Britain. She, freckled and furious; he, quietly studious; both fascinated by the other. Years later, their lives collide as adults and burst into an intense yet brief love affair. Now, after thirty years apart and at the close of the 20th century, their lives are converging once again as they hurtle towards each other by plane and train their motivations, regrets and decisions laid