The Spoils of Poynton

The Spoils of Poynton is a novel by Henry James, published in 1897, that centers on the fierce battle over a magnificent collection of antiques and fine furnishings at Poynton Park. Widow Adela Gereth, who painstakingly amassed these treasures over decades, dreads their fate when her son Owen prepares to marry the tasteless Mona Brigstock, prompting Gereth to strip the house bare and relocate the spoils to her modest cottage, Ricks. The sensitive Fleda Vetch, Gereth’s young companion who secretly loves Owen, becomes entangled as a mediator, torn between moral scruples and the possessive passions driving the conflict, which culminates tragically in fire.