Paradise Garden: The Satirical Narrative of a Great Experiment

A witty, self‑described bookworm narrates the origins of the Great Experiment, a satirical social project launched by the millionaire John Benham and his son Jerry. Set against the backdrop of early‑20th‑century New York, the scheme reflects their shared distrust of women’s changing role, turning a private household into a laboratory for rigid ideals. The narrator’s dry, philosophical tone frames the venture as a comedy of errors rather than a serious reform.

Now penniless after a series of dead‑end jobs, the narrator runs into Jack Ballard, an old university classmate turned wealthy heir who jokes about “clipping coupons” in his father’s office. Ballard drags him into the Benham household, offering a place in the unfolding experiment. Their clash of academic pretension and flamboyant optimism fuels the novel’s comic tension, while the women in the house respond with a mix of resistance and unexpected humor, hinting at the chaos to come.