The Orange Girl

Name: The Orange Girl
Author: Walter Besant

By Walter Besant

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British Literature

About This Book

A young man breaks with his prosperous merchant family to follow a life in music, carrying only his violin and a few coins. After street life and precarious earnings, entanglement with an acquaintance leads to debt, incarceration in the King's Bench, and a web of accusations and arrests. The narrative follows his trials—legal, moral, and social—through imprisonment, conspiracy, a sensational public trial, commutation and transportation, and intimate episodes of love and friendship. Themes of loyalty, revenge, class prejudice, the sustaining power of music, and the tensions between personal conviction and social expectation run through the two-part structure.

About the Author

Walter Besant

Walter Besant was a British novelist and historian, known for his vivid portrayals of London and its social conditions. His works often explore themes of social reform and the lives of the working class. Among his notable titles is "All Sorts and Conditions of Men: An Impossible Story," which critiques the disparities of Victorian society. Besant's writing is characterized by a blend of fiction and social commentary, making significant contributions to the literary heritage of the late 19th century. He was also involved in various philanthropic efforts and was a prominent figure in the promotion of literature and the arts.