Joanna

Summary

In the shimmering, precarious zenith of the Jazz Age, "Joanna" unfurls a compelling social tableau, centering on the eponymous Joanna Manners, a veritable emblem of Gilded Age extravagance. Blessed with an audacious spirit, striking beauty, and a fortune that could bankroll a small nation, Joanna embodies the quintessential flapper—a woman ostensibly unburdened by convention. Her world, however, is a gilded cage, populated by a sycophantic coterie of fortune-hunters and social parasites, each maneuvering for a slice of her considerable wealth. Into this meticulously curated existence strides John Wilmore, a man conspicuously devoid of material possessions but rich in integrity and genuine sentiment. Their burgeoning affection ignites a palpable friction, a stark binary between superficial opulence and authentic connection, challenging the very foundations of Joanna's established reality and inviting the venomous scorn of her parasitic entourage, who perceive Wilmore's presence as an existential threat to their lucrative sinecure. The narrative thus becomes a poignant exploration of class, character, and the elusive nature of true value amidst the intoxicating, yet ultimately hollow, allure of the Roaring Twenties.