May Baldwin
Sarah's School Friend
"Sarah's School Friend" by May Baldwin is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story revolves around Sarah Clay, a young girl from a wealthy manufacturing family, as she navigates her complex relationships with her parents and society. The book explores themes of class, identity, and the struggles between personal desires and family expectations. At the start of the novel, Sarah is in her lavish home, grappling with her feelings about her father, a self-made millionaire. The opening scenes depict a tense family dynamic, particularly her disdain for her father's coarse manners and her mother's attempts to fit into a higher social class. Sarah's reflective nature leads her to question the authenticity of her family's wealth and her place in society. The interaction between her and her brother George reveals underlying tensions about their identities and ambitions, setting the stage for Sarah's impending growth as she anticipates the visit of her school friend, Horatia Cunningham, a girl from a noble lineage. The backdrop of their industrial town paints a vivid picture of the contrasts between wealth and the lives of the mill-workers that surround them.