That Beautiful Wretch by William Black
December 2020
Published originally in 1881 (this eBook version is taken from the 1885 American edition) and taking place in the era of its publication date, That Beautiful Wretch (or The Beautiful Wretch in Britain) is simply a delightful romance that immerses the reader in small-town English life as experienced by 19th-century ladies and gentlemen. Taking place mainly in the southern coastal town of Brighton, directly south of London on the English Channel, the author does a good job of painting with words the scenery and atmosphere along the shoreline, and the various characters he introduces.
William Black was a very popular and successful novelist while he was alive, whose fame for some reason did not maintain itself into the 20th century. But whether accorded modern-era critical acclaim or not, readers of William Black novels will enjoy themselves enough to understand why they were so popular at the time they were published. There is nothing better than a good romantic novel—and God help us if we ever reach a point as a species when such is not the case.
William Black was a very popular and successful novelist while he was alive, whose fame for some reason did not maintain itself into the 20th century. But whether accorded modern-era critical acclaim or not, readers of William Black novels will enjoy themselves enough to understand why they were so popular at the time they were published. There is nothing better than a good romantic novel—and God help us if we ever reach a point as a species when such is not the case.