This vintage book is Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward’s 1877 novel, “The Story of Avis”. It is the story of a woman who is forced to sacrifice her artistic ambitions for the sake of marriage and children. Her husband is ultimately not financially stable enough, and they end up facing serious difficulties. A thought-provoking exploration of masculinity and femininity, “The Story of Avis” will appeal to lovers of nineteenth century gender fiction, and is not to be missed by fans of Ward’s wonderful work. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward (1844–1911) was an author and pioneering feminist, famous for challenging traditional gender roles. Many classic books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.