Edith Wharton was the first woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize for literature. The Age of Innocence, published in 1920 and currently available for audio download, garnered her the award. As a member of New York's upper class society, Edith was able to write her novel about the morals and lifestyle of the elite from the point of view of a person living within the very circle she portrayed in the book. The plot centers around the society marriage of Newland Archer to his suitable bride May, and the love he feels for her cousin Ellen, whose status as a divorcee is a source of scandal to her family.
Edith was herself a divorcee, having left her husband after 28 years of marriage to enjoy a relationship with her partner, a journalist for The Times. One of her more popular works, Ethan Frome, which is also available on audio download, began the author's theme of writing about loveless marriages and adultery. Another one of her most famous books available on audio download is The House Of Mirth and it is considered her first great novel. This novel of manners satirically covers the New York ruling class. Edith Wharton was a complex woman and author, educated and opinionated, and her works will appeal to a wide audience of readers (and listeners!).