Did something happen in her youth that might inform why Cathy, after marrying Adam, goes on to shoot him, leave their newborns, join a brothel, slowly poison the madam, and then take her job?
—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2026
The origin story helps contextualize the misery and self-isolation of Cathy’s later years, as the madam of a Salinas whorehouse.
Those laughs are balanced with real world issues, and a longing for these gentlewomen locked into the suffocating zeitgeist of early 1800s British Regency.
—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
12 Dec. 2025
Social status and fashion conspired to make gentlewomen’s footwear of every sort flimsy.
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.