Originally conceived as a brief, light story about the complications created in her family's social set by a young girl coming of age, the novel expanded into a general treatment of decadence and corruption in English fin de siècle life.

Mr. Longdon attends one of their social functions and is amazed at how much Nanda resembles her grandmother, his long-ago love who married another man.

But the material drew him on, and he wound up with a lengthy book about Nanda's eventual rejection of the often sleazy social circle around her mother.

James was always careful to sweeten this rather dour message with a lot of witty satire on the foibles of Mrs. Brook's social circle.

Edmund Wilson, on the other hand, showed little patience with the "gibbering crew" surrounding Nanda with their vaguely corrupt schemes.

Many critics, such as Edward Wagenknecht, have detected over-treatment in the almost-all-dialogue presentation, which often strings out scenes to great length and complexity.