When it comes to literature, I love a good period novel—notably, the work of Jane Austen. The famed British author of Pride and Prejudice is renowned for her Regency romantic comedies that poke fun of manners in high society. But if she had an American counterpart, it would no doubt be Edith Wharton, an American heiress born in 1862 and prolific writer of over 40 books. As the host of a classics book club, Wharton's oeuvre has been on my reading list for some time, and we recently voted to read The Buccaneers. The novel is currently a popular AppleTV series in its second season, with an impressive 93 percent approval rating on the Popcorn meter. So does the book measure up to the adaptation?