Heartbreak House, by Shaw, George Bernard - Akasha Classics, AkashaPublishing.Com - A savage and witty critique of European civilization on the brink of the First World War, Heartbreak House is Shaw, George Bernard's favorite among his own works. The play chronicles a dinner party at a British country house, and centers on Ellie, who is engaged to be married to an unscrupulous businessman. Hesione, the party's hostess, is eager to prevent this match, but what can be done when Ellie falls for another unsuitable man - Hesione's husband? The various inhabitants and guests of Heartbreak House are either blissfully ignorant or idealistic but ineffectual, and for Shaw represent those who could have prevented the First World War but were too wrapped up in their own privileged lives to make a difference.