7 h 49 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does an honest life cost when someone else pays for your comfort?
In the New York of the early twentieth century, Laura Murdock earns too little as an actress to support the life she wants. Wealthy businessman Willard Brockton makes up the difference, but his money comes with an expectation of loyalty. Laura longs for a life she can call honest.
Then Jack Madison, a hopeful young newspaperman from the West, offers love and marriage, but not wealth. Laura wants to become the woman he believes she is. Around her, theatre friends accept their own bargains with city life. To choose Jack, she must find a way to break her tie to Brockton.
What you’ll discover
- Comfort with a cost Follow Laura as the money that supports her also limits her choices.
- Love without a fortune Meet Jack Madison, whose sincere hopes offer Laura a different kind of future.
- A friend's practical view Elfie St. Clair accepts the city's bargains, giving Laura's struggle a frank counterpoint.
- Money behind the household Watch Annie, Laura's maid, who understands more about the household's finances than she says.
- Drama with difficult questions Enter a stage-rooted story that asks how freely a woman with few honest earning options can choose.
Who will love it
For readers who love stage-bound drama, stories of money and morals in old New York, and heroines facing choices between love, comfort and honesty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Laura lives on another person's money
- Her friends show her the world she knows
- A different kind of man enters her life
- She must choose between two lives
- The story asks what a woman's choices are worth
- A stage drama told in prose
Who’s who
- Laura MurdockA young New York actress who lives on a rich man's money and longs for a life she can call honest.
- Willard BrocktonA wealthy man of business who supports Laura and expects her loyalty in return.
- Jack MadisonA young newspaperman from the West who loves Laura sincerely and wants to marry her.
- Elfie St. ClairLaura's frank, practical friend from the theatre, who accepts the bargains of city life without complaint.
- AnnieLaura's maid, who watches the household closely and knows more about its money than she says.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 49 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. Love it or get your money back: ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Der leichteste Weg in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Der leichteste Weg
by Eugene Walter; Arthur Hornblow
New York actress Laura Murdock must choose between a rich protector's comfort and a young newspaperman's honest love.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
Laura lives on another person's money
The story opens on Laura Murdock in New York. She is an actress, but her life is not paid for by the stage alone. A wealthy man named Willard Brockton keeps her in comfort, and she has grown used to what that comfort buys.
Brockton is not drawn as a cartoon villain. He is a man of business who is generous with money and expects something in return. Laura understands the terms of their arrangement, and so does he. Neither of them pretends it is anything but a bargain.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Der leichteste Weg
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. And if you have paid, the 60-day money-back guarantee applies: ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is The Easiest Way about?
It follows Laura Murdock, a New York actress supported by a wealthy man. When a young newspaperman offers her honest love, she must decide between comfort and a plainer, truer life.
Is The Easiest Way based on a play?
Yes. Eugene Walter wrote the play, which opened on Broadway in 1909 with producer David Belasco. Arthur Hornblow later wrote the novel version, which keeps the same story and its tight, room-by-room drama.
Who is Laura Murdock?
Laura Murdock is the heroine, a young actress in New York who has grown used to the comforts a rich protector provides. The story follows her struggle to live differently.
More like this
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in classics
See all
Free
Free
Free
