Sylvia's Marriage

Upton Sinclair was a prolific novelist, producing over 90 books in many genres. His book "The Jungle," depicting conditions in the Chicago meat packing industry, was a national sensation, and led to the eventual creation of the Food and Drug Administration. Sinclair was an ardent Socialist, and ran for Congress on a socialist platform. His novel "Dragion's Teeth," about the rise of the Nazi Party, won the Pulitzer Prize.

"Sylvia's Marriage, published in 1914, deals with the marriage of Southern socialite Sylvia Castleman, told from the viewpoint of her friend Mary Abbot. As Mary puts it, "I was to Sylvia a new and miraculous thing, a self-made woman." While coming from different backgrounds and classes, both women share the experience of marrying the wrong man, and Sylvia must deal with the consequences of her husband's pre-marital escapades.

A critic termed it "A novel that frankly is devoted to the illustration of the dangers that society runs through the marriage of unsound men with unsuspecting women."

"The importance of the theme cannot be doubted, and no one hitherto ignorant of the ravages of the evil and therefore, by implication, in need of being convinced can refuse general agreement with Mr. Sinclair upon the question as he argues it. The character that matters most is very much alive and most entertaining."

-- "The Times"

"Very severe and courageous. It would, indeed, be difficult to deny or extenuate the appalling truth of Mr. Sinclair's indictment."

-- "The Nation"

"There is not a man nor a grown woman who would not be better for reading "Sylvia's Marriage,""

-- "The Globe"

"Those who found Sylvia charming on her first appearance will find her asbeautiful and fascinating as ever."

-- "The Pall Mall" "A novel that frankly is devoted to the illustration of the dangers that society runs through the marriage of unsound men with unsuspecting women. The time has gone by when any objection was likely to be taken to a perfectly clean discussion of a nasty subject." @right = -- "T.P.'s Weekly"