Bunner Sisters is a poignant novella by Edith Wharton that tells the story of two sisters living in poverty in late 19th century New York City. The main characters, Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner, are both hardworking and devoted to each other, but their lives are filled with hardship and struggle.

Wharton's writing is elegant and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the sisters' daily struggles and the bleakness of their existence. The author does a superb job of creating a sense of atmosphere, immersing the reader in the gritty reality of lower-class New York at the time.

The relationship between Ann Eliza and Evelina is heartwarming and tragic, as they cling to each other in the face of poverty and loneliness. The novella explores themes of sisterhood, sacrifice, and the search for happiness in a world that seems determined to thwart their dreams.

Overall, Bunner Sisters is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant story that will stay with readers long after they have finished it. Wharton's prose is both haunting and moving, capturing the essence of the sisters' struggle for survival in a world that offers them little hope.

Book Description:

“Bunner Sisters,” like “The Age of Innocence” is set in 1870s New York, however the lives of Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner reflect impoverished New York. The sisters run a “very small shop, in a shabby basement, in a sidestreet already doomed to decline.” Shabby as it is, the sisters are happy in their small orderly community of supportive women. The story tells of the destruction of this life, and how the once content sisters are thrown into the realistic world outside of their little shop.