Roman Fever by Edith Wharton

Roman Fever by Edith Wharton is a story about two well-to-do American widows who escort their unmarried daughters on a grand vacation. Alida Slade and Grace Ansley are the primary characters in Wharton's tale that incorporates love, mother/daughter relationships and sexuality into a compelling piece of literary work.

 Indeed, the characters do not appear to experience much happiness in Wharton's Roman Fever. They are either reliving old, painful memories, experiencing discord among family and friends or dealing with illness. The social pressures that exist among and between the women -- both mothers and daughters alike -- offer ...