God Is an Englishman (118 page)

17. Consider Wickstead’s background. Does poverty ever justify crime? Is it possible to blame society for shaping the man he became, or do you think each individual should be held to the same standards of morality regardless of circumstances?

18. Look at the various reactions to the news of Adam’s accident and possible death. What does this say about his role in people’s lives?

19. Edith and Henrietta, despite vastly different backgrounds and experiences, turn out to be more similar than they first appear. What are some of the things they have in common? How are they still very different women?

20. Various characters balance business and family life in different ways. How do you balance your own business and family/social life? How does the one affect the other?

21. “Change. Movement. Speed. Money. Expansion. Innova tion.” Has business changed all that much since Adam Swann’s time? Would Adam be as successful today?

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about the authoR

Born in South London in 1912, R.F. Delderfield was a journalist, playwright, and a highly successful novelist, renowned for brilliantly portraying slices of English life. He has remained one of England’s most beloved novelists, with many of his novels being adapted into television and film, including the landmark BBC

miniseries of
To Serve Them All My Days
.

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• Title Page
  
• Copyright
  
• Dedication
  
• Contents
  
• Man with a Casket: 1857-1858
  
  • 1
    
  • 2
    
  • 3
    
• Part I: Encounter: Summer, 1858
  
  • One: Fugitive in a Crinoline
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
    • 5
      
    • 6
      
  • Two: The Black Dwarfs
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Three: Pillion-Ride
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
  • Four: Bride-in-Waiting
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
• Part II: The Cygnet Years: 1858-1861
  
  • One: Cicerone
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Two: Novitiate
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
    • 5
      
  • Three: The Big City
    
    • 1
      
  • Four: Whim of a Carriage-Horse
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
  • Five: Assignation with Shires
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Six: Death of a German
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
    • 5
      
• Part III: Cob at Large: 1862-1863
  
  • One: Swann Treble
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
    • 5
      
  • Two: Study in Soot
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Three: Riverside Confessional
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Four: Skirmish on Shallott
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Five: Truce Terms
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
  • Six: Flight of a Sleeping Partner
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
• Part IV: Sortie Torrentielle: 1864-1865
  
  • One: Council of War
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
  • Two: Byblow
    
    • 1
      
  • Three: Valentine's Day Breakout
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
  • Four: Advance on Most Fronts
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Five: Edith as Thief-Taker
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
• Part V: Towards the Weir: 1865-1866
  
  • One: Apogee
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Two: Tumult
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Three: Thaw
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Four: Conspiracy
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
  • Five: Vicereine
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
  • Six: Petticoat Government
    
    • 1
      
    • 2
      
    • 3
      
    • 4
      
• Epilogue: Re-Encounter: 1866
  
  • 1
    
  • 2
    
  • 3
    
  • 4
    
  • 5
    
• Reading Group Guide
  
• About the Author