The House of Mirth

An immensely popular bestseller when published in 1905, The House of Mirth was Edith Whartons first great novel. Set among the elegant brownstones of New York City and opulent country houses like gracious Bellomont on the Hudson, the novel creates a satiric portrayal of what Wharton herself called a society of irresponsible pleasureseekers with a precision comparable to that of Proust.