If you liked the concept of the rich and famous, and morally reprehensible characters of Gossip Girl, but like me, couldn't stomach the writing, the House of Mirth may be right up your alley. As I made it slightly longer in the TV show iteration of Gossip Girl (mid-season 2) than I did the book series (I read the first as a freshman in high school), I found myself comparing characters in the House of Mirth to what I considered their GG counterparts. Was Lily Bart Serena? Was Lawrence Seldon Dan? Was Bertha Dorset Blair? Some of this is a stretch, but the concept remains the same. These are scheming upper-crusters who are constantly trying to stay a part of the "in" group, while simultaneously protecting their vices. 
 It's been a while since I've spent some time with Edith Wharton, and so I decided it was time. When Lawrence Seldon gets off the train, Lily Bart is sitting in the station. He invites her back to his apartment, where they chat about their various places in the world. Seldon, an independent with a job, even if he's not well off, is critical of Lily's world. After all, he is not fully immersed in it. Meanwhile, Lily is 29 and single. Her parents are dead, and she relies on her aunt's generosity for her support. Still, even as she tires of it, Lily knows how to play the game. From there, Lily rushes off to catch a train for a party in the country. She wracks up some more gambling debts, and reins in a potential husband, until her plans are thwarted by Seldon's appearance. From here, Lily continues to fight to keep her place in society, even if it means fighting against her feelings for Seldon, and sometimes her better instincts. Basically: 
 I had forgotten how much I love Wharton's prose. It's more straightforward than many would give the turn of the century credit for. And yet she is capable of crafting full, complex characters who are far from perfect, if still for the most part sympathetic. I was rooting for Lily, even as I recognized that her lifestyle is something I would judge in the tabloid fodder of today. And this connection makes it hard for Wharton's work to feel dated, even if now marriage may not play such a prominent make or break role in a woman's life. But in this circle? Even that plot point may still ring all too close to home. 
 Lily Bart is a masterful character, as are the people around her. No one would accuse Lily of being perfect, far from it. But she's human. Even as she's gambling away her savings. Or aligning herself with questionable characters just to stay a part of the club. Or looking down on "new money." And even as I don't condone all of her choices, I'm rooting for her. 
 Does it get a little sentimental at the end? Yes. But over all, I am again amaze at Wharton's full, vibrant world, her full characters, and her critique of society and gender inequality that still rings true today. Lines like "She longed to be to him something more than a piece of sentient prettiness, a passing diversion to his eye and brain..." hit the ball out of the park.