The Modern Age is about a woman's life, starting in the 19th Century and ending at the time of the Beatles. Mary-Margaret overcomes obstacles to become a doctor in the early 1900's. Her controlling uncle won't give her her trust fund, so she grows and sells orchids. Her lover was an orchid hunter, who's left her with no explanation. She goes to medical school disguised as a man. The driving force of this strong narrative is her need to understand what happened to her niece who committed suicide. And the question: what happened? The time before the First World War was a kind of Golden Age, but that came to an end with the War. A strength is the believable, dryly humourous, and intelligent voice of Mary Margaret. This novel will resonate with readers who want an intelligent story, from which they can take some truths about their own lives, and which they can close feeling they have been living along with someone who has found some joy in her life despite her troubles.