Democracy, an American novel

About the book

"Democracy, an American novel" by Henry Adams is a political novel published anonymously in 1880. Madeleine Lee, a wealthy New York widow seeking purpose, moves to Washington to understand political power. Her salon attracts influential men, including Senator Silas Ratcliffe, who courts her while pursuing his presidential ambitions. As Madeleine peers behind the curtain of American democracy, she discovers a world of corruption, pragmatism, and moral compromise that challenges her ideals about governance and forces her to choose between power and principle.