Beatrix Farrand, née Jones, was not only the first professional American woman landscape architect, she was also a member of the Jones family--the family whose social status is the origin of the phrase, "Keeping up with the Joneses." Her aunt was none other than novelist Edith Wharton, and her mother, Minnie Cadwalader Jones, was famous in literary circles in her own right. In honor of these towering women, we'll be reading and discussing Wharton's classic work, The House of Mirth, in the garden. 

Set in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century, with a widening income gap comparable to our own, The House of Mirth is a relevant and electrifying classic for our times. First published in 1905, The House of Mirth shocked the New York society it so deftly chronicles, portraying the moral, social and economic restraints on a woman who dared to claim the privileges of marriage without assuming the responsibilities. Lily Bart, beautiful, witty and sophisticated, is accepted by 'old money' and courted by the growing tribe of nouveaux riches. But as she nears thirty, her foothold becomes precarious; a poor girl with expensive tastes, she needs a husband to preserve her social standing, and to maintain her in the luxury she has come to expect. Whilst many have sought her, something—fastidiousness or integrity—prevents her from making a 'suitable' match.