The New Machiavelli

A brilliant, ambitious politician tells the story of his rise to power and the reckless love affair that destroys his career, in Wells’s searching novel about politics, idealism, and the gap between public vision and private desire. Blending social criticism with a candid study of ambition and scandal, it caused controversy in its day for its frank treatment of an affair. Thoughtful and provocative, The New Machiavelli examines whether a person can remake society while unable to govern their own heart. A rich Edwardian novel of ideas, it reflects Wells’s lifelong preoccupation with reform, progress, and the flawed human beings who must carry it out.