The Upstart (Basic)
The son and grandson of cobblers, Samuel Fairbrother owns a series of boot factories. He buys a Newcastle mansion as a means of showing off his wealth and fortune. Totally out of his social depth, he relies on his butler Maitland to tell him how to dress, when to have a party, and whom to invite. Sam is a crude, possessive man who blusters loudly when he does not get his way. He knows he is considered an upstart. When Sam and his wife separate, he insists that his oldest child, Janet, trained as a librarian, stay with him. She and Maitland fall in love, but first one disaster and then another postpone their wedding. Cookson skillfully shows the class conflicts that result when a tradesman tries to climb beyond his station. Cookson, a perennial favorite (The Obsession, LJ 6/15/97), has written another enjoyable tale of love and conflict in late 19th-century England. Recommended for popular fiction collections.-?Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas P.L.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.