A Shabby Genteel Story is a novel written by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published in 1840. The story follows the lives of two sisters, Amelia and Caroline, who are struggling to make ends meet in London after the death of their father. They are forced to move to a small apartment and take on various odd jobs to survive.Amelia is a kind-hearted and virtuous young woman who works as a governess, while Caroline is more ambitious and dreams of marrying into a wealthy family. Their lives take a turn when they meet Captain George Osborne, a handsome and charming young man who becomes a frequent visitor to their home.As the story unfolds, Amelia falls in love with Captain Osborne, but he is engaged to another woman. Caroline, on the other hand, becomes involved with a wealthy but unscrupulous man named Mr. Binkie, who promises to marry her but has no intention of doing so.The novel explores themes of love, ambition, and social class, and provides a satirical commentary on the society of the time. Thackeray's writing style is witty and engaging, and he creates memorable characters who are both flawed and sympathetic.Overall, A Shabby Genteel Story is a charming and entertaining novel that offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of 19th-century London.The Misses Macarty were excessively indignant that Mr. Fitch should have had the audacity to fall in love with their sister; and poor Caroline's life was not, as may be imagined, made much the happier by the envy and passion thus excited. Mr. Fitch's amour was the source of a great deal of pain to her. Her mother would tauntingly say, that as both were beggars, they could not do better than marry; and declared, in the same satirical way, that she should like nothing better than to see a large family of grandchildren about her, to be plagues and burdens upon her, as her daughter was.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.