The novels in this volume give us insight into the status of a woman in the second half of the 19th century America. “Dr. Breen's Practice” is a novel about the rise of women into the medical field in the 19th century and the subsequent decision they had to make between the pursuit of a medical career and the temptation of marriage. “The Coast of Bohemia” and “Annie Kilburn” deals with the problem of labor and professions for women.
William Dean Howells (1837–1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. He was the first American author to bring a realist aesthetic to the literature of the United States. His stories of Boston upper crust life set in the 1850s are highly regarded among scholars of American fiction.
