The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, is a poignant exploration of New York society in the 1870s. Following the end of the First World War, Wharton delves into the intricacies of the world she was born into and sought to escape from throughout her life.

The protagonist, Newland Archer, embodies the charm, tact, and enlightenment of his society. Fully integrated into its standards and rules, Archer's engagement to the impeccable May Welland signifies a future of safety and conventionality. However, the arrival of May's cousin, Ellen Olenska, disrupts his well-laid plans. Ellen, independent and free-thinking, separated from her husband, challenges Archer to reassess the values and assumptions of his insular world. As their love grows, Archer faces a critical decision about where his ultimate loyalty lies.

Handsome would-be poet Lucien Chardon is poor and naive, but highly ambitious. Failing to make his name in his dull provincial hometown, he is taken up by a patroness, the captivating married woman Madame de Bargeton, and prepares to forge his way in the glamorous beau monde of Paris.

But Lucien has entered a world far more dangerous than he realized, as Madame de Bargeton's reputation becomes compromised and the fickle, venomous denizens of the courts and salons conspire to keep him out of their ranks. Lucien eventually learns that, wherever he goes, talent counts for nothing in comparison to money, intrigue, and unscrupulousness.

Lost Illusions is one of the greatest novels in the rich procession of the Comédie Humaine, Balzac's panoramic social and moral history of his times.

When a class war erupts inside a luxurious apartment block, modern elevators become violent battlegrounds and cocktail parties degenerate into marauding attacks on "enemy" floors. In this visionary tale, human society slips into violent reverse as once-peaceful residents, driven by primal urges, re-create a world ruled by the laws of the jungle.