Virginia: The Making of a Lady by Ellen Glasgow

Virginia Pendleton has been shaped since girlhood to embody every virtue of a Southern lady—beauty, patience, piety, and selfless devotion. When she marries Oliver Treadwell, a gifted young lawyer with ambitions beyond their small Virginia town, she pours herself wholly into his career and their children. Yet as the turn of the century brings new opportunities for women and a shifting social order, Oliver finds her unwavering goodness stifling. He grows restless, pursues a more modern woman, and leaves Virginia to face a world she was never taught to navigate alone. This retelling preserves Glasgow’s compassionate, nuanced story in clear, natural language—bringing Virginia’s quiet courage and hard-won awakening to life for today’s audience. Part of Timeless Classics.