In the glittering tradition of Edith Wharton, The Emperor's Children examines life in upper-crust Manhattan, and tells a compelling story of ambition, vanity and tragedy

That's so her. You know, torn between Big Ideas and a party. She's always been that way. Danielle, Marina and Julius are young, bright New Yorkers living at America's beating heart in the early years of the twenty-first century. They've been friends since college, but the bonds between them have loosened as their lives, loves and ambitions have taken each down a different path. The arrival of Marina's cousin Bootie - fresh from the provinces and keen to make his mark - forces them to confront their desires and leaves them dangerously exposed. And then on September 11th, 2001 the whole world shifts. Irrevocably honest, moving and bitingly funny, The Emperor's Children brings us face to face with the enduring gap between who we are and who we long to be. Through her raw and poignant depiction of the lives of three characters, Messud succeeds in demonstrating how utterly we are defined by the times in which we live. 'Brilliant . . . a masterpiece' Independent on Sunday 'Thrillingly real, alive and utterly convincing' The Times

With an introduction by Neel Mukherjee.

In Manhattan, just after the century's turn, three thirty-year-old friends, Danielle, Marina and Julius, are seeking their fortunes. But the arrival of Marina's young cousin Bootie - fresh from the provinces and keen, too, to make his mark - forces them to confront their own desires and expectations.

The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud is an American classic: a sweeping portrait of one of the most fascinating cities in the world, and a haunting illustration of how the events of a single day can change everything, for ever.