False Dawn

False Dawn opens on a world of poised elegance and hidden strain: New York society in the 1840s, where old restraint collides with new wealth, new manners, and the restless hunger for status. At the center is Lewis Raycie, torn between a tender love for Treeshy Kent and the crushing ambitions of his father, Mr. Raycie, a self-made merchant who rules the family through money, pride, and the dream of founding a lasting legacy. Sent abroad as a gentleman connoisseur to collect art for a family gallery, Lewis is transformed by travel through England, the Mediterranean, and the East. His encounters deepen his taste and confidence, especially after meeting a quick-witted English traveler and, in Venice, recognizing Treeshy's face in a fresco, which opens his eyes to beauty he had once overlooked. But his return home turns triumph into disaster when Mr. Raycie rejects the collection in furious incomprehension, exposing a bitter clash of generations, values, and authority. With Wharton's elegance and irony, the novel reveals how tradition can protect and imprison, and how even the brightest promises of family, love, and culture may prove illusory. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.