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Romance to the Rescue
Romance to the Rescue (1921) is a novel by Denis Mackail. Recognized in his time as a leading writer of popular fiction, Mackail was a gifted stylist with a keen sense of social convention and a deep commitment to developing his diverse casts of characters. Frequently funny, Mackail’s work is a pleasure to read and deserves renewed interest from the public. The past few years have been hard on David Lawrence. Having lost his mother to illness, he is preparing to go off to college at Oxford while living up to the expectations of his father Martin, a respected academic. While out to dinner with his father in London, David meets the mysterious Mrs. Cartwright, a charming older woman who seems to have a history with Dr. Lawrence. Encouraging him to pay a visit to her home, she bids them goodnight, leaving David to play it cool while conversing with his father. Not long after this brief meeting, David calls on Mrs. Cartwright to find her in the middle of a conversation with aspiring playwright John Ormroyd, who wishes to have his new production staged at the Thespian Theatre. Assuring him to remain confident in his work, Cartwright―whose husband Leo manages the Thespian―welcomes David into her drawing room, where she introduces the two men and bids farewell to John. As the story unfolds, passion and a secret from the past prove an entertaining concoction as men compete for the attention of a woman whose confidence and intelligence they foolishly underestimate. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Denis Mackail’s Romance to the Rescue is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2008
About the author
Denis Mackail
42 books10 followersDenis George Mackail was born in Kensington, London to the writer John William Mackail and Margaret Burne-Jones, daughter of the painter Edward Burne-Jones. Educated at St Paul's School, Hammersmith, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, but failed to complete his degree through ill-health after two years.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
His first work was as a set designer, notably for J.M. Barrie's The Adored One and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion (1914). The outbreak of World War I interrupted this promising start, however, and Denis, not fit enough for active service, worked in the War Office and the Board of Trade.
In 1917 he married Diana Granet, only child of the railway manager Sir Guy Granet, who was a director-general for railways in the War Office. The couple had two children, Mary (born 28 March 1919) and Anne (born 12 January 1922) and lived in Chelsea, London. It was the necessity of supporting his young family that led Denis to write a novel when office jobs became insecure after the end of the war.
With his novel published, his first short-story accepted by the prestigious Strand Magazine and the services of a literary agent, A. P. Watt, Denis was soon earning enough from his writing to give up office work. He published a novel every year from 1920 to 1938 and among his literary friends were P. G. Wodehouse and A. A. Milne.
During the 1930s Mackail lived at Bishopstone House, Bishopstone near Seaford, Sussex
As therapy from a nervous breakdown, Denis agreed to write the official biography of J.M. Barrie, which appeared in 1941. He went on to produce seven more novels and some books of reminiscences, but after the early death of his wife in 1949, he published no more and lived quietly in London until his death.
His sister was the novelist Angela Thirkell.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 28, 2013
I was almost put off by the title but am so glad I took a chance. Utterly charming - very funny but not silly and a poignant, lovely ending.
Displaying 1 of 1 review