Cordélia

"In twelve short stories,the author explores the minds and actions of those fragile, self-flattering, complicated animals called humans....There is Fanny, young and spoiled, who plans an affair only to learn that there is ore than one way to deceive a husband; and Marie, who leaves her beautiful blond husband because 'something had come to a head in her that had never been there before, something which demanded unhappiness, imperfection,suffering, something which guaranteed that every minute she now lived was hers completely and utterly.' Nathan Oppeheim runs a tragic race away from his fear of death; Verna uses self-denigration to hold onto a man just one night longer. At times showing moments of compassion and bravery, as when Sylvia defies the cruel, conceited host at a dinner party, or a young gypsy rejects the 'charity' of a man and the expectations that accompany it.In every case, the authors insights are penetrating." paraphrased from 500 Great Books by Women.