On the New Money side of the street we have a woman so socially ambitious it’s a wonderment to watch her. Bertha runs her advancement into the hierarchy of New York City’s rich as if it were a business. I’ve never seen a female character written so forcefully and yet respectfully. Usually a woman this brash is the villain.
Does she like nice things? I don’t think so. She likes status. But then she hires an innovative architect and a French chef (something not done at that time). Boldness is her profession, and she has an instinct for it. She has a tactical understanding of style, while choosing something for its beauty is secondary.
Three. Envy eats her alive, yet it won’t stop her. She will achieve what she attempts. This is a mesmerizing person who refuses to lose. I couldn’t stop admiring her.