The Wide, Wide World

'The Wide, Wide World' is a novel by Susan Warner, published under the pseudonym, Elizabeth Wetherell. It is often acclaimed as America's first bestseller. It is a work of sentimentalism about the life of young Ellen Montgomery. The story begins with Ellen's happy life being disrupted by the fact that her mother is very ill and her father must take her to Europe, requiring Ellen to leave home to live with an almost-unknown aunt. Though Ellen tries to act strong for her mother's sake, she is devastated and can find solace in nothing.