Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 2 (of 3)

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About this book

"Dead-sea fruit, Vol. 2 (of 3)" by M. E. Braddon is a novel written in the late 19th century. It contrasts a jaded aristocrat’s disillusion with the bright hopes of youth, entwining a potential cross-class romance with sharp glimpses of London’s theatrical world and social pretenses. The story centers on Harold Jerningham, the weary owner of Greenlands; Eustace Thorburn, an idealistic young secretary; Helen de Bergerac, his amiable pupil; and editor Laurence Desmond, whose path crosses that of struggling actress Lucy Alford. Themes of ambition, jealousy, friendship, and the bitter aftertaste of pleasure run beneath a refined country-house drama and a gritty city subplot. The opening of the novel follows Jerningham’s return to his neglected estate on his birthday, where he meets Eustace reading Plato and then visits his old friend, M. de Bergerac, and Helen at the Grange.