A Dream of Cambridge

This book lays bare the flair of the Republican era’s cultural world for scoundrels. The Republican era was a fascinating time. New ideas swept into the glittering foreign concessions, while old rules still hung over every doorway. Love suddenly took on the guise of free choice, and some men began speaking tenderly while treating love as a privilege; claiming to respect women while treating them as trophies, bargaining chips, or status symbols. This book is about men just like that. Some called cheating “being a ladies’ man,” control “being responsible,” and betrayal something forced on them by the times. But in a chaotic age, excuses are never in short supply. To truly judge a man, don’t listen to his sweet talk. Look at how he treats women who can live perfectly well without him. Fortunately, the women in this book aren’t waiting around to be rescued. They wake up, they hurt, they leave. After being deceived, they stand tall again and turn all the fierce devotion they once gave to men toward loving themselves. So, though this book seems to be about romance, it’s really a painful lesson: don’t use the era’s romantic ideals to cover up an individual’s vile behavior. Readers can open it ready to enjoy the spectacle: watch, curse the men, and wait for them to get their comeuppance. But remembering just one thing after reading is enough: scoundrels don’t suddenly turn bad. They’ve simply never been taught a lesson by the consequences.