Evan Harrington

Meredith drew on his own family history for this sharp social comedy, whose hero is the son of a celebrated country tailor. When old ‘the great Mel’ dies, young Evan Harrington is left torn between the honest trade that bred him and the gentleman’s life he longs for, especially once he loses his heart to the well-born Rose Jocelyn. His formidable sister, the self-invented Countess de Saldar, schemes tirelessly to bury the family’s connection to the shop and pass her brother off as a gentleman. Meredith mines the snobbery of Victorian England for both laughter and feeling, and lets Evan find dignity only when he stops running from who he is. Available free as a PDF and EPUB download.