Henry James 
Awkward Age 

Adolescence and the transition to adulthood are difficult periods for most people, but the stakes are even higher when you’re a well-born young woman at the center of a complex and morally suspect social circle. That’s the dilemma facing young Nanda Brookenham in Henry James’ The Awkward Age, a dialogue-driven novel that some critics rank among the writer’s most accomplished literary feats.