Elders and Betters

The Donne family's move to the country is inspired by a wish to be close to their cousins, who are to be their nearest neighbours. It proves too close for comfort, however. For a secret switching of wills causes the most genteel pursuit of self-interest to threaten good relations and even good manners… First published in 1944, Ivy Compton-Burnett employs her sharp ear for comedy and celebrated powers of dialogue to spectacular effect. She reveals a devastating microcosm of human society, in which the elders are by no means always the betters, in which no character is totally scrupulous, but none without their appeal.

Author: Compton-Burnett Ivy
Year of publication: 2013
Genre: Classics
Number of pages: 307
Reading time: 5 h. 7 min.
Formats: FB2, EPUB, PDF
Language: english
Requests: read online, download without registration, e-book