This was a book I have returned to after twenty years. Last time I read it, I was younger than the 29 year old Lily, this time around, far older. And both times my heart bled for her. Brought up to be an ornamental beauty to adorn society and marry well, she was provided without the financial means to do so, being foisted on to an aunt after the death of her parents. Her relationships with society women are bordering on toxic, as each one seems to constantly assess the the other to see what gain a friendship between them could bring them, how it could advance their standing in society. Lily's relationships with men are no better as she looks to them only in terms of whether or not they would make her a suitable husband as she reaches the realisation that she needs to marry, and marry fast, in order to sustain her way of living. The book focuses on the economic realities of marriage, with women as the commodities to be be bought and sold on the market. Divorce is derided, while at the same time, a divorced woman is easily forgiven as soon as she manages to marry again, provided the new husband is wealthy enough. There are some utterly beautiful sentences, and when I reached the end this time around, even knowing what was coming, I could not help but feel bereft as Lily's fate was revealed.