Elizabeth Visits America

"Elizabeth Visits America" by Elinor Glyn is a novel written in the early 20th century. The book centers around the character Elizabeth, a young woman navigating her emotions and societal expectations as she travels across America, embarking on a journey that promises both excitement and self-discovery. The opening of the novel introduces Elizabeth in a state of discontent due to a quarrel with her husband, Lord Valmond, who has left for Africa. Seeking solace, she stays with her great aunt Maria at Heaviland Manor. During her stay, Elizabeth receives news of her aunt's first automobile, which is met with a mix of humor and curiosity by the characters. As she adjusts to her current situation, plans begin to form that will lead her to embark on a voyage across America with her friend Octavia, which promises to be both adventurous and enlightening as she navigates interactions with new people, including an intriguing American gentleman she meets along the way. Through Elizabeth's letters to her mother, readers catch a glimpse of her thoughts, desires, and the cultural contrasts she observes between England and America. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Elinor Glyn was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern standards. She popularized the concept of the it-girl, and had tremendous influence on early 20th-century popular culture and, possibly, on the careers of notable Hollywood stars such as Rudolph Valentino, Gloria Swanson and, especially, Clara Bow.