The Campion family of Delaware is living a genteel existence, even after the sudden, unexpected death of the family patriarch. When the family’s first son, Victor, is born, he’s doted on by his mother and three sisters. But as the days turn to decades the family’s devotion to Victor, and their hopes that he’ll be the key to their entrance into Gilded Age society, robs them of their own chances for happiness. Victor grows into a man of charm and social promise but little real urgency, drifting through opportunities and relationships while remaining the unquestioned center of the household. In the end, the Campions are left to confront the consequences of a life organized around possibility rather than fulfillment.

The Perennial Bachelor is Anne Parrish’s most acclaimed novel. It won the Harper Novel Prize in 1925, and was one of the top ten most popular books of the year.