New York city is the Spendthrift town of the title. Claire Nicholson is the central character, a young girl brought up in a conservative and aristocratic family who have never moved from their Ninth street house, and whose creed is “Work hard, take care of your property, increase it if you possibly can, and let all idealists and spouters and impractical people alone.” At twenty a series of misfortunes come upon the family, bringing death, dishonor and poverty into Claire’s experience of life, and when wealthy Dudley Orville asks her to marry him, she consents. It doesn’t take many years for her to discover that Dudley values material things too highly and his marriage vows not at all. But she has by now realized, too, that she loves Felix Malette, a young Englishman whom she had previously scoffed at for regarding material things too lightly. She realizes that she has wronged both Dudley and herself by marrying him and they separate, but she refuses to get a divorce as Dudley wishes. She is finally driven to doing so to obtain the allowance that she needs, but feels herself degraded in so doing, and feels that it would be impossible ever to make use of a freedom secured as she had secured hers. Nevertheless the closing page sees her sailing for Europe where Felix is.
“‘Spendthrift town’ is one of the finest bits of realistic American literature which has come to my attention this year.” S. M. R.
+ Bookm 52:371 D ’20 130w
“The book, as a whole, has solid merit and abundant promise and should not be overlooked by readers who care for good work of native origin.”
+ − Nation 111:693 D 15 ’20 380w
“The caste, the manners of these people, suggest Scott Fitzgerald’s more earnest moments, but the story is altogether without that young gentleman’s vigor, ardor and wit.”
− N Y Evening Post p17 D 4 ’20 120w
“The real strength of the story is in the vivid picture it presents of certain phases of metropolitan life, which will be appreciated by New Yorkers as well as by those who know little of the great city.”
+ N Y Times p26 Ja 9 ’21 320w