Delaware; or, The Ruined Family. Vol. 1

audiobook

Delaware; or, The Ruined Family. Vol. 1

by G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James

EN·~5 hours·6 chapters

Chapters

6 total
1

Transcriber's Notes:

0:10
2

EDINBURGH - PRINTED BY M. AITKEN, 1, ST JAMES's SQUARE.

0:03
3

DELAWARE;

0:03
4

VOL. I.

0:00
5

EDINBURGH: - PRINTED FOR ROBERT CADELL, EDINBURGH; AND WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON. MDCCCXXXIII.

6:38
6

DELAWARE; - OR, - THE RUINED FAMILY.

5:43:51

Description

A weary rider returning from the Lactarian Hills finds himself under chestnut trees in the Italian countryside, where a chance meeting with a small English party sparks an instant, if unexpected, camaraderie. Their leader—once a proud, aloof gentleman—has softened, inviting the narrator into an evening of lively conversation and shared travel. The narrator soon becomes their unofficial guide, drawn into their adventures as they cross the landscape toward Pæstum, their stories unfolding like a lively scrapbook of past exploits.

Through these anecdotes the listener is led into the heart of a once‑prominent family whose fortunes have slipped into ruin. The narrative blends witty observations of high‑society pretensions with vivid 19th‑century travel scenes, all narrated in a conversational, almost breezy style that feels both intimate and expansive. As the first act unspools, listeners are left with a sense of intrigue about how pride, debt, and misplaced affection will shape the family's fate, promising a richly textured tale of love, loss, and the British expatriate experience abroad.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~5 hours (336K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the Web Archive (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Release date

2016-04-02

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Subjects

About the author

G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James

G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford) James

d. 1860

Best known for historical novels that once rivaled the popularity of Walter Scott, this prolific Victorian writer mixed court intrigue, adventure, and romance in dozens of fast-moving books. His career also stretched beyond literature into public service, including years as a British consul abroad.

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