Edward Henry Machin, called Denry, is born in a Bursley cottage in 1867, the only son of a widowed washerwoman, and he has a genius for seizing the main chance. He forges his own exam result, gatecrashes the Countess of Chell’s ball, starts the Universal Thrift Club and bluffs his way from clerk to mayor, the most talked-about card in the Five Towns.
Bennett’s most cheerful comedy, for anyone who likes a likeable rogue. Download the free EPUB.