The Custom Of The Country( Series - Penguin Classics )

Whartonas glittering satire of the newly affluent in Old New York
Considered by many to be her masterpiece, Edith Whartonas second full-length work is a scathing yet personal examination of the exploits and follies of the modern upper class. As she unfolds the story of Undine Spragg, from New York to Europe, Wharton affords us a detailed glimpse of what might be called the interior dA(c)cor of this America and its nouveau riche fringes. Through a heroine who is as vain, spoiled, and selfish as she is irresistibly fascinating, and through a most intricate and satisfying plot that follows Undineas marriages and affairs, she conveys a vision of social behavior that is both supremely informed and supremely disenchanted. BACKCOVER: aAs long as men and women seek to use each otheraand to use each other badlyaEdith Wharton can be counted upon to provide the ideal commentary.a
aAnita Brookner