The Beggar's Purse: A Fairy Tale of Familiar Finance

A wickedly funny WWI-era satire that reimagines personal finance as a fairy tale with teeth. E. Van Tenner is a bachelor of comfortable habits and comfortable spending, until a mysterious beggar hands him a magical purse with one rule: he can only spend what he truly needs. What follows is a brilliant comedy of manners as Van Tenner navigates New York City, suddenly unable to justify that taxi, that elaborate meal, that generous tip. Each refusal to spend becomes a small battle, and Adams renders these mundane agonies with the precision of a master satirist. The real magic isn't in the purse, it's in watching Van Tenner discover how much of his 'necessities' were really just habits dressed up in justification. Sharp, gentle, and surprisingly warm, this is a fable for anyone who has ever told themselves they needed something they absolutely did not.