In 1761, Frances Sheridan published her novel The Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph, which became a popular and widely praised example of the sentimental novel. The Conclusions, that novel's sequel, is set eight years later, after Sidney Bidulph's marriage and motherhood. Psychologically subtle and emotionally immediate, the novel is told almost entirely in the form of letters. Many of the letters are between the scheming Sophy and Edward Audley, who are trying to trick Sidney's daughter into marriage with Edward; these letters provide a startlingly realistic portrayal of...