The Twelfth Hour - Leverson, Ada

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Résumé :
It is a long and golden summer in the Edwardian period. London is abuzz with gentlemen in tall hats and ladies in flowing silk, some with money, and others who want it badly. Love and marriage are the great game, but the adventure is vastly varied, depending on who is playing. Creatures of wit find it their most impressive subject; creatures of love are either pinnacled or torn apart by its demands. Felicity, Sylvia and Savile Crofton, aged 25, 20 and 16 respectively, are deep in the melee. Felicity is married to Lord Chetwode, the man of her dreams, and is largely happy, but she is already feeling deeply the falling-off of contact as he pursues horseflesh and antiques across the country in ever-longer stays away. Her younger sister Sylvia is very much in the market, according to her father, who has many ideas of whom she might marry, but particularly favours a Greek millionaire, Mr Ridokanaki. He has no idea that her great love is his penniless secretary, Frank Woodville. Their brother Savile, on holiday from Eton, has not only the spirited attentions of young Dolly Clive to contend with, but also his great passion for an opera singer, whom he loves from afar. Somehow, all their problems must be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. A typically confident Savile tries to engineer a solution, but in the end it is love itself which cuts through. Ada Leverson (nee Beddington) was born in 1862. She married Ernest Leverson at the age of 19, against her parents' consent, but the marriage was not a success. She became a contributor to several literary and artistic journals including Black and White, St Stephen's Review and, most notably, The Yellow Book in the 1890s. It was at this time, after she published a brilliantly successful sketch parody of his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, that Oscar Wilde desired to meet her, and dubbed her The Sphinx. They became the greatest of friends, and she was instrumental in helping him after the disaster of his trial, when many others deserted him. Her six sparklingly witty novels were published between 1907 and 1916. She died in 1933.

Sommaire:
Ada Esther Leverson was a British novelist and writer born on October 10, 1862, in Beddington, United Kingdom. She was best known for her wit and keen observations of society, which she skillfully weaved into her novels. Leverson's works often explore the complexities of love, relationships, and the social dynamics of the time. Her novels, such as Love's Shadow (1908) and Tenterhooks (1912), focus on romantic entanglements, personal dilemmas, and the intricacies of societal expectations. Her writing is marked by a light, witty tone, yet often subtly critiques the conventions of the upper classes. She was married to Ernest Leverson and was the daughter of Samuel Henry Beddington. Ada Leverson's literary career, while successful in her time, is perhaps most remembered for her contribution to the genre of the British social novel. She passed away on August 30, 1933, in Florence, Italy, at the age of 70. Despite a more subdued recognition today, her work remains appreciated for its deft portrayal of social mores and relationships during the late 19th and early 20th centuries....