The Eternal City

by Hall Caine

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Pages: 398

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About this book

Snow closes around a young street musician in London as he counts the ninepence he must take home. Hungry and lost near Soho, he shelters in a doorway and tries to warm his trembling squirrel. This opening gives Hall Caine's novel an immediate concern with poverty and vulnerability, before its setting shifts to Rome and the relationship between Roma and David Rossi.

Their love faces the pressure of exile and an uncertain future. In a room repeatedly lit by a searchlight, they discuss a postponed marriage, exchange promises and struggle with the possibility of separation. Caine's preface explains that this edition reshapes the longer novel around its human relationships and follows the lines of his stage adaptation. Readers interested in emotional drama will find a story in which loyalty, fear and sacrifice turn public conflict into deeply personal decisions.

About the author

Hall Caine

Hall Caine built an international readership through novels, drama, biography, and public lectures rooted in the moral and social life of the Isle of Man. The Manxman places a difficult triangle of loyalty, ambition, and love within Manx custom, while The Little Manx Nation gathers lectures on the island's rulers, church, and people.