Angela's Business

Charles King Garrott sits at his writing table trying to turn his theories about women into the basis of a great novel. A private tutor with large literary ambitions, he considers himself unusually qualified to explain their lives. Henry Sydnor Harrison treats that confidence with dry humor, beginning with the interruptions, distractions and doubts that complicate Charles's work. His relative and secretary, Judge Blenso, adds another comic voice as he questions the odd phrasing of a story.

The novel sets arguments about earning a living and household expectations alongside the awkward details of personal relationships. Charles reflects on Mary Wing's developing career, while renewed drives with Angela leave him worrying about the closeness of their friendship. Readers interested in changing ideas about women's independence will find those debates tested through conversation, everyday encounters and a narrator alert to the gap between a man's theories and his behavior.