Marriage à la mode

"Marriage à la Mode" by Mrs. Humphry Ward is a story set in the early 1900s that looks at how relationships work, what society expects, and the differences between American and British ways of life. It follows Roger Barnes, a young Englishman, and Daphne Floyd, a rich American woman, as they deal with their different backgrounds and what they want out of life; the story starts with General Hobson and his nephew, Roger Barnes, on a boat in America, which shows the different cultures and what the family expects; as they talk about going to Mount Vernon, Roger's excitement clashes with his uncle's complaints about American society; we also start to see that Roger likes Daphne Floyd, who is independent and full of life; and the beginning sets up the conflict between what people want and what society expects, especially as Roger thinks about his future with love and family responsibilities.