The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

In Gilded Age New York, lawyer Newland Archer is engaged to the charming but conventional May Welland, when he meets her cousin, the free-spirited Countess Olenska. Torn between duty and desire, Newland grapples with the rigid expectations of high society. As whispers of scandal grow, he must decide between a life of comfort and one of authenticity. Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a subtle, devastating exploration of love, sacrifice, and social constraint. It's a masterpiece of emotional depth and restrained passion.