The Widow Barnaby. Vol. 2 (of 3)

"The Widow Barnaby" by Frances Milton Trollope is a story set in the 1800s that focuses on Agnes Willoughby, a young woman dealing with the rules of society and tough situations with her aunt, Mrs. Barnaby, who really wants to be accepted by everyone. Their relationship shows how important family is, what society wants from people, and how hard it is to get over the death of family, which Agnes struggles with because she has a big dance coming up. The book starts by showing how Agnes and her aunt act with each other, with the aunt being flirty and excited to go out, but not noticing that Agnes is worried on the inside about her clothes and feeling like she doesn't belong. When they get ready for the dance, Agnes has mixed feelings because she is interested in going but also scared to be the center of attention, feeling worried about her family's past, and thinking about her dad passing away. The back-and-forth between Agnes being shy and her aunt wanting everything fancy helps create the story, talking about social classes, who people are, and trying to be yourself even when society tells you what to do.