"Diana of the Crossways — Complete" by George Meredith is a novel published in 1885, based on the life of socialite and writer Caroline Norton. Beautiful, intelligent, and hotheaded Diana Warwick becomes entangled in both political and social scandal. Her efforts to advance her husband's career through befriending a Cabinet Minister lead to alienation and public disgrace. Attempting to live independently through writing, Diana finds her involvement in politics brings personal and public ruin. Can she navigate a society that demands women remain passive? (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.