Books like Novels (Age of Innocence / Custom of the Country / House of Mirth) by Edith Wharton

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece examines the glittering yet hollow glamour of the Roaring Twenties as the enigmatic Jay Gatsby pursues love, wealth, and identity across the social divide.

The beloved classic of American literature, Little Women, narrates the adventures of four March sisters as they grow up during the Civil War era.

In 19th‑century rural France, country doctor Charles Bovary marries the ambitious Emma, whose longing for romance and luxury drives her into affairs and reckless spending, spiraling her into ruin and social disgrace.

In post‑war New York, Newland Archer faces a dilemma when his fiancée’s cousin, the rebellious Ellen Olenska, challenges his elite society’s expectations and his own loyalty.

A young bride, the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter, arrives at Manderley on the Cornish coast and finds her new home haunted by the memory and housekeeper’s obsession with her mysterious, stylish predecessor—Rebecca.

In wintry Starkfield, Massachusetts, disabled farmer Ethan Frome is trapped in a loveless marriage to Zeena while his unrequited love for Zeena’s cousin Mattie drives a desperate, tragic triangle that culminates in a failed attempt to escape together.

A satirical novel set in 1980s New York City about ambition, racism, social class, politics, and greed.

Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy weaves three interlinked detective‑style narratives that explore identity and the city’s uncanny parallels, turning ordinary clues into profound questions of human existence.

In Edith Wharton’s classic, Lily Bart, a beautiful and intelligent young woman devoted to luxury, struggles to navigate New York’s strict social hierarchy and moral expectations, ultimately confronting the limits of her independence.

180 p. ; 21 cm.1010L Lexile

Henry James’s early novel follows an American diplomat in Paris who must navigate the social intrigues of diplomatic life, the complexities of man‑woman relationships, and the contrasting worlds of America and France during the late nineteenth century.

A novel set against the backdrop of the Cold War, featuring a man trying to distance himself from his past and an artist struggling for independence, exploring themes of masculinity and societal norms.

Natty Bumppo's first journey into frontier life and the challenges of defending his freedom against dangerous Indians and the corrupting influence of a ruthless new lawman, setting the stage for the larger story of The Last of the Mohicans.

A gritty coming‑of‑age tale set in 1860s New York, following a street boy’s rise from poverty to respectability through hard work and determination.

Henry James’s novel *The American* reprinted with a textual history, background notes, source materials, and critical essays.

Edith Wharton's satiric anatomy of American society in the first decade of the twentieth century appeared in 1913; it both appalled and fascinated its first reviewers, and established her as a major novelist. It follows the career of Undine Spragg, recently arrived in New York from the Midwest and determined to conquer high society. Glamorous, selfish, mercenary, and manipulative, her principal assets are her striking beauty, her tenacity, and her father's money. With her sights set on an advantageous marriage, Undine pursues her schemes in a world of shifting values, where triumph is swiftly followed by disillusion. Wharton was re-creating an environment she knew intimately, and Undine's education for social success is chronicled in meticulous detail. The novel superbly captures the world of post-Civil War Ameria, as ruthless in its social ambitions as in its business and politics. - Back cover.

Sheriff Troy Davis struggles to find love in the small town of Cedar Cove while dealing with the unexpected death of his daughter and a series of mysterious break-ins.

A compact collection of four short stories by Edith Wharton, exploring New York society, social customs, and the passage from innocence to experience.

A portrait of rural Nebraska life, following the bond between an orphan boy and an immigrant girl as they navigate communities and hardships on the 19th‑ and early 20th‑century plains.

A story of forbidden love and societal expectations in 1870s New York.