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    Nocturne
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    Nocturne
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    Nocturne
    Ebook197 pages3 hours

    Nocturne

    By Frank Swinnerton and H. G. Wells

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    This is Frank Swinnerton's 1917 novel, "Nocturne". Written in response to a challenge which required him to write a novel that takes place in a single evening, "Nocturne" is set firmly in the world of the working classes and follows the story of Jenny and Emmy, two sisters whose differences threaten to tear them apart. A masterful and intriguing novel not to be missed by fans of Swinnerton's work. Frank Arthur Swinnerton (1884 - 1982) was an English critic, biographer, novelist, and essayist. During his lifetime he wrote more than fifty books, and aided other seminal writers including Aldous Huxley and Lytton Strachey during his time as a publisher's editor. Other notable works by this author include: "Tokefield Papers" (1927), "A London Bookman" (1928), and "Elizabeth" (1934). Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRead Books Ltd.
    Release dateSep 14, 2016
    ISBN9781473345119
    Unavailable
    Nocturne

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    • 4/5
      Nocturne, or Jenny and Keith and Emmy and Alf. This 1917 novel by a friend of H.G. Wells (who wrote the introduction) makes no mention of the Great War going on at the time, so we can presume it is set shortly before it. Emmy is the older sister--28 or 29--her sister isn't sure, and Jenny is 25. They live with their father in Kennington in South London. Jenny works at a milliners, but Emmy is stuck at home cooking and cleaning and taking care of father all day. And she resents it. Over the course of one night, for the novel's three parts take place from 6 o'clock in the evening until perhaps 2 o'clock the next morning, each sister will undergo a potentially life-changing experience. This is a book all about character and about night. It is old fashioned and sentimental and its portrayal of female emotions and fragility is perhaps unrealistic, but it still resonates with the reader. These are real people trying to live real lives and find some meaning in them. Jenny is the dreamer, while Emmy is the practical one. You'll enjoy seeing how it turns out. In his introduction, Wells wrote, "This is a book that will not die. It is perfect, authentic, and alive. Whether a large and immediate popularity will fall to it, I cannot say, but certainly the discriminating will find it and keep it and keep it alive." I'm afraid Wells was a bit overoptimistic--perhaps out of friendship for the younger Swinnerton (who lived until 1982!) Although Nocturne was reprinted a few times, it doesn't seem to be in print now, but it is easily found on Project Gutenberg. Recommended.