Compton Mackenzie
The first of a two-volume series, Sinister Street, Volume One is a heavily autobiographical account of a young man, Michael Fane, who is the privileged but illegitimate child of a wealthy father. This volume presents an account of Michael's family background, his childhood and his prep school career.
In this second volume of a two-volume set, young protagonist Michael Fane goes to college and begins to explore his growing independence and the world around him. Acclaimed by an array of authors and critics as one of the most important works of fiction of the era, Sinister Street, Volume Two is a gripping literary account of young adulthood at the dawn of the twentieth century.
British author Compton MacKenzie was a brilliant chronicler of oddballs, eccentrics, and the clashes between classes. In Rich Relatives, he tells the story of fiercely independent Jasmine Grant, whose idyllic life in Italy is dashed to bits at the behest of her upper-class relations. Will she find a way to live life on her own terms?
This engaging novel from British author Compton MacKenzie follows the professional travails and romantic ups and downs of John Touchstone, a "successful romantic playwright and unsuccessful realistic novelist." Drawing heavily on his own life experiences and his family's background as one of the foremost clans of stage actors in Europe, MacKenzie crafts an engaging, lighthearted look at his dashing protagonist's love life.
The 1915 novel Plashers Mead is a sequel to the remarkably popular Sinister Street. The books follow the lives—and loves—of a pair of siblings who were born into a wealthy family, but without the benefit of holy matrimony. Lacking the benefits that come with an official birthright, the two try to make their way the best they can.
6) Carnival
In the novel Carnival, celebrated author Compton MacKenzie offers historical fiction fans the best of both worlds: a sweeping drama that brings to life the rural Scottish countryside and a gripping emotional account of the coming of age of one remarkable young girl, Jenny Pearl. Deemed shocking in its realism by critics at the time of the novel's publication, this slice of Scottish life is sure to please even the most discerning historical
...10) The Altar Steps
Born into a prominent family of stage actors, author Compton MacKenzie was remarkably prolific and tackled a broad range of subjects and genres over the course of his lengthy literary career. The novel The Altar Steps offers an in-depth account of the internal and external struggles facing a young man who wants to follow his father into the ministry, but who is ambivalent about the political intrigue and drama that are rife in the religious
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