The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

In the glittering world of 1870s New York, where reputation means everything and passion must be concealed, Newland Archer is torn between duty and desire. Engaged to the proper May Welland, he finds himself captivated by the unconventional Countess Olenska — a woman who defies the rigid codes of their society. With exquisite irony and emotional depth, Edith Wharton exposes the fragility of love under the weight of tradition in this Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece of manners and forbidden longing.