Novel 319: James Brinsley Richards, The Duke’s Marriage (1885)
Amid the Franco-Prussian war, a young Englishwoman is engaged to a French duke.
James Brinsley Richards (1846-1892), originally named Reginald Temple S.C. Grenville Nugent Grenville-Murray, was the son of Eustace Clare Grenville Murray, who was the illegitimate son of Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos. He wrote three novels, of which this was the first.
“The Duke’s Marriage introduces us to a new writer of fiction, and to one—a rarity since the death of Mr. Anthony Trollope—who actually requires the whole of his three volumes to do justice to himself and his characters. It is full of life and humour.” Academy, January 30, 1886
“A clever and original story told with plenty of life and spirit and an abundance of epigram.” Athenaeum, February 6, 1886
“If the anonymous author of this work be a novice, a brilliant career as a novelist ought to lie before him. The plot is full of unexpected complications without being melodramatic, and the characters skilfully grouped and strongly individualized.” Dublin Review, April 1886
Download this fortnight’s novel:
v.1 https://archive.org/details/dukesmarriage01rich