Hard Facts Author:Howard Spring Woven of many bright strands, this new [1944] novel by Howard Spring has the nostalgia and warmth that endeared him to so many readers as the author of My Son, My Son!(/I> Its hero is a young clergyman in England of the [18]'Eighties; but the story of his contradictory loves is closely interwoven with the fates of several other characters. Am... more »ong them are an impassioned young poet and his sister, and the founder of the first pennynewspaper - called in this novel "Hard Facts" - in whose fabulous career all these lives were closely involved. Together they provide a rich feast of entertainment for readers who like sympathetic characters, swift action, and emotional excitement in which to share.
Howard Spring's ever-present humanity again reminds one of Dickens. His skill as a storyteller needs no comment. He is steeped in the life which he depicts - the life of a drab Mdland city, the life of the English countryside and of the rich estates - and he reconstructs the time and place with a wealth of telling detail.« less
Unexpectedly, I loved this book. It does remind me of Dickens - every character is three-dimensional, the locale is visible, you can feel the weather. Just wonderful. A 1944 hidden classic.