Blue Blood Elegy

While the literature of today often focuses on the long journey of marginalized Americans toward the halls of power, Blue Blood Elegy explores the other side of the same coin: the quiet, atmospheric retreat of a class that has lost its grip on American leadership. In this elegant Philadelphia novel of manners, William Foster introduces the Whittle family-a dynasty profoundly aware of its aristocratic heritage but in a country that has been at war with itself over issues of class since its inception. In the late 1970s the sun is setting on the era of the WASP ascendancy, and America is transitioning to diversity and a meritocratic managerial class. Tom Whittle, a young man starting out in the world, finds that he does not fit in professionally because of his aristocratic heritage, and socially he feels alienated as friends and family turn against, surrender, or betray that heritage. At every turn he must struggle to reconcile it with mainstream democratic values. The struggle turns intimate and high-stakes when Tom falls for Katalin, an aspiring lawyer whose presence at the family estate, Leighsylvania, unearths shadowy secrets. As calculating cousins move to protect their inheritance, questions and rumors emerge about the true nature of the family wealth and the viability of Tom’s and Katalin’s love. Part coming-of-age romance and part sociological autopsy, Blue Blood Elegy is a story of 'Old Money' facing an inevitable demise and a poignant reflection on the fragility of legacy. It is the story of a young man forced to reinvent himself and his journey to learn that in a democracy, true nobility is not a birthright-it is a choice.