What is this book about?
Laura Middleton comes from a comfortable but modest background. Her brother, Arthur, harbors grand ambitions, particularly for Laura, whom he views as a means to elevate their family's social standing. He encourages her to marry wealthily. Laura falls in love with Basil Fenwick, a young man of a respectable but not necessarily affluent family. The novel explores the complex web of emotions and societal pressures that unfold when Laura is approached by a wealthy, older gentleman interested in her, while her brother relentlessly pushes for a marriage advantageous to his own dreams. It charts Laura's struggle between her genuine feelings for Basil and the societal and familial expectations that suggest a different path, ultimately revealing the harsh realities and compromises demanded by the rigid class structure of the era.
