Mr. Crewe's Career [Paperback]

Winston Churchill (Author)

Book Description

I may as well begin this story with Mr. Hilary Vane, more frequently addressed as the Honourable Hilary Vane, although it was the gentleman's proud boast that he had never held an office in his life. He belonged to the Vanes of Camden Street,--a beautiful village in the hills near Ripton,--and was, in common with some other great men who had made a noise in New York and the nation, a graduate of Camden Wentworth Academy. But Mr. Vane, when he was at home, lived on a wide, maple-shaded street in the city of Ripton, cared for by an elderly housekeeper who had more edges than a new-fangled mowing machine. The house was a porticoed one which had belonged to the Austens for a hundred years or more, for Hilary Vane had married, towards middle age, Miss Sarah Austen. In two years he was a widower, and he never tried it again; he had the Austens' house, and that many-edged woman, Euphrasia Cotton, the Austens' housekeeper.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

American novelist born in St. Louis, graduated from Annapolis, and mainly lived in New Hampshire during his career. He is chiefly noted for his successful historical romances. Although his first novel The Celebrity (1898) was moderately popular, it was with his second Richard Carvel that he gained much fame. Churchill was interested in social issues and religion and his later works reflect these concerns. His other novels include: The Crisis (1901), The Crossing (1904), Coniston (1906), A Far Country (1915), The Inside of the Cup (1913), A Far Country (1915), The Dwelling Place of Light (1917). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish (June 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1404320059
• ISBN-13: 978-1404320055
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Churchill's second political novel, May 29, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Crewes Career (Hardcover)

This partly autobiographical political novel, set in New Hampshire, is a warning against the powers of the railroad interests to control elected government. Churchill himself had run for governor just two years earlier and had met his defeat at the hands of the state's railroad lobby. In the character of Humphrey Crewe, a somewhat politically naïve, comical figure who is running for governor, Churchill drew a character similar to himself. But Crewe is basically a minor figure, there to offer comic relief, but the main thrust of the story lies elsewhere. The main characters actually are Hillary Vane, the chief lawyer for the railroad company and major state political operator, and his son, Austen, who represents reform. Austen accuses his father of violating a "nearly forgotten" statute whereby the railroads were not to increase rates in exchange for the right to consolidate, a ruling they have long ignored. Churchill's real-life reform concerns came to the fore right here, as this was exactly what was happening in New Hampshire at the time. The battle between Austen and Hillary builds dramatically throughout the novel, until Austen is encouraged by other reformers to run for governor. But out of loyalty to his father, he declines the nomination.

This is one of the problems with the book, and what sets it aside from other reform novels such as those by Upton Sinclair: Churchill was not willing to take the fight beyond the dictates of parlor civility; he believed that gentlemen discussing principles would bring about change. This was a highly idealistic view, and when he has Austen convince his father of the rightness of the reformer's position, it's too pat and contrived to be very believable. There is also, of course, a love story unfolding within the proceedings, between Austen and Victoria Flint, which succeeds splendidly by novel's end - but it's the least impressive thing about the book. In fact, it's hard not to want to skim through the scenes where these two characters are on stage, they are so stiff and uninteresting. But despite his kid glove approach to reform, Churchill makes the political battle for reform dramatic and lively.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not by Sir Winston, October 12, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Hopkinton NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Crewe's Career (Hardcover)

Another novel by the American novelist Winston Churchill, distantly related, whose fame was such at the turn of the century that Winston SPENCER Churchill promised to use his middle name to distinguish himself. Belongs with CONISTON, THE CRISIS, A FAR COUNTRY, etc. -R. Langworth, Editor, FINEST HOUR, The Churchill Center, www.winstonchurchill.org