Books with author E. F. Benson

Europe is about to enter its darkest days, the long night of the First World War, Michael finds himself unloved by his parents and finding love in the arms of German singer Sylvia, he must make hard decisions between his patriotic feelings and the undeniable love he has for his new fiancee. This novel, originally published in 1916, is being republished here together with a new introductory biography of the author.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.

While E. F. Benson is best known for his comic novels of upper middle-class society, he also wrote serious novels that dealt with far greater issues than social ascendancy and the well-worded snub. Michael includes serious versions of some of the themes that appeared in Benson's comic novels--his love for German composers and a female singer whose fondness for informality and serious musicianship are reminiscent of Olga. Benson manages to interleaf several major themes without crowding the book. The story features inter-generational conflict; the mental decline of an elderly parent; what today we would call the self-esteem issues of a physically ugly man; national identity; and the slow, inexorable buildup to World War One and the heartache it causes as loving friends realize that they will be fighting on opposite sides. Benson deals with each theme sensitively, though sometimes the late Victorian prose style is heavy-handed. Even though Benson's obvious love for Germany and German music were, if anything, a daring stance to take so close to the war that was to wipe out so many lives, modern audiences are more sensitive to easy, sweeping national generalizations like the kind that Felix makes.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. 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 the original work.