Sanctuary

A compelling psychological novel that explores whether moral character is inborn or shaped by environment. "A striking little book, striking in its simplicity and penetration, its passion and restraint."—Times Literary Supplement

Library Journal

Originally published by Scribners in 1903, this is the story of Kate Orme, who marries a man of weak moral character. When they have a child, she fears that the sins of the father will be the sins of their son. Kate dedicates herself to instilling morality in the boy as he grows, especially after her husband dies. This is a typical Wharton examination of upper-crust society strewn with flaws. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

One of America's most important novelists, Edith Wharton was a refined, relentless chronicler of the Gilded Age and its social mores. Along with close friend Henry James, she helped define literature at the turn of the 20th century, even as she wrote classic nonfiction on travel, decorating and her own life.