""Mary Burns: Or Besetting Sins"" is a novel written by Sarah Schoonmaker Baker and published in 1861. The story revolves around the eponymous character, Mary Burns, who is a young woman living in New York City. Mary is a beautiful and intelligent woman, but she has a dark secret - she is addicted to opium. The novel explores the consequences of Mary's addiction and the impact it has on her life and the lives of those around her. Mary's addiction leads her down a path of self-destruction, causing her to lose her job, her home, and her family. She becomes involved with a group of opium addicts and is eventually arrested for theft.Despite the challenges she faces, Mary is determined to overcome her addiction and turn her life around. With the help of a kind-hearted doctor, she is able to break free from her addiction and start anew. The novel also touches on themes of poverty, class, and gender roles in 19th-century America. It offers a vivid portrayal of life in New York City during this time period and sheds light on the struggles faced by those who were marginalized and oppressed. Overall, ""Mary Burns: Or Besetting Sins"" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of addiction and the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.