The Whirlpool

London itself is the whirlpool of Gissing’s title, a churn of money, ambition, and social display that pulls his characters under. Harvey Rolfe, a comfortable bachelor drifting toward middle age, marries the restless, gifted Alma Frothingham, whose father’s financial collapse leaves her hungry for a public career as a violinist. As she chases fame and the couple chase status, their marriage and their young child pay the price. Written at the close of the century, the book captures the anxieties of a moneyed middle class living beyond its means and its nerves. Gissing writes with cool intelligence about marriage, work, and the cost of modern striving. Free to download in PDF and EPUB formats.