Those who begin reading "Gilded" by Catherine Karp will find themselves unable to put it down. This harrowing story of an abused woman in 1890's New England rivets the attention and moves the heart. The story centers on a hat shop offering gorgeous creations for otherwise restricted and lonley women to wear upon their heads. The ponderous hats, laden with plumes, flowers, bows and laces help to brighten loveless marriages and dreary lives. Eventually, the hats become a symbol, masterfully used by the author, of women's social and sexual emancipation."Gilded" is a must read for those who love the Victorian and Edwardian Eras and are concerned with the condition of women at that time.