The Best People (1918)

The Best People is a novel written by Anne Warwick and published in 1918. The story revolves around a wealthy and influential family, the Van Degens, who are considered to be ""the best people"" in their social circle. The patriarch of the family, John Van Degen, is a powerful businessman who has built his fortune through ruthless means. His wife, Elizabeth, is a socialite who is obsessed with maintaining the family's status and reputation. The novel follows the lives of their three children: John Jr., who is expected to take over the family business; Charlotte, who is beautiful but lacks ambition; and Peggy, who is intelligent but rebellious. The story explores their relationships with each other and with the people around them, as well as their struggles to find their own identities in the shadow of their parents' expectations.As the family's secrets and scandals are revealed, the Van Degens are forced to confront the consequences of their actions and the true meaning of being ""the best people."" The novel offers a critique of the American upper class and its values, as well as a commentary on the changing social and political landscape of the early 20th century.Overall, The Best People is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of power, wealth, family, and identity in the context of a rapidly changing society.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.