In the gray streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a young woman refuses to accept the diminished life her circumstances demand. Claire Twining possesses a fierce intelligence and relentless ambition that clash painfully against her family's modest standing and her mother's relentless criticism. Her father, a dreamer worn down by hardship, offers little protection against the world's crushing expectations. As Claire navigates the tight spaces between her burning desires and the restrictive social boundaries of late Victorian America, she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice for a life larger than the one prescribed for her. Edgar Fawcett's forgotten 1883 novel pulses with the same raw energy that would later define Edith Wharton - a searing portrait of a woman who understands that desire, particularly in a woman, is both dangerous and necessary. For readers craving early feminist literature and stories of quiet rebellion.
