11 h 55 minAudiobook5 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 do you owe to a love that never leaves you—and to the people who depend on you?
In H. G. Wells’s The Passionate Friends, Stephen Stratton looks back on his life and his love for Mary. Their bond begins in youth, with all the force of first love. But Mary marries Oliver Justin, a wealthy man whose world offers comfort and security. Stephen tells his story frankly, trying to understand what loving her has cost him.
When Stephen and Mary meet again years later, their old feelings return. Both now carry responsibilities that make desire harder to follow. Money, family pressure, marriage and public opinion shape their choices. Through these two thoughtful people, Wells explores a painful question: how can love leave room for freedom without failing those who have a claim on our care?
What you’ll discover
- First love, lasting claims Follow a bond that begins in youth and returns with the weight of adult responsibilities.
- A strong-minded woman Meet Mary as she weighs her own wishes against family pressure, money and marriage.
- More than a rival Encounter Oliver Justin, whose wealth offers security and whose character resists the simple villain’s role.
- An honest backward glance Listen as Stephen examines what his love teaches him, without offering a tidy tale.
- Freedom against duty Consider where personal desire meets the needs of others, and why neither claim is simple.
Who will love it
For readers who love Edwardian fiction, novels of ideas and stories about love set against social rules, with passion, loyalty and women's freedom at their heart.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A man looks back on his life
- Mary and Stephen form a bond
- Marriage, money and social pressure
- Passion against duty and freedom
Who’s who
- Stephen StrattonThe narrator, a thoughtful man who looks back on his life and tries to understand what his love for Mary has made of him.
- MaryA clever, strong-willed woman who loves Stephen and must weigh her own wishes against the pressures of family, money and marriage.
- Oliver JustinA wealthy man who marries Mary and offers her security, and who is drawn with fairness rather than as a simple villain.
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
- 11 h 55 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 5 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
- 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, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- 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.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Los amigos apasionados 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.
Los amigos apasionados
by H. G. Wells · 1913
Stephen Stratton looks back on his love for Mary and weighs passion against the claims of marriage, money and duty.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Passionate Friends is a novel by H. G. Wells, published in 1913. It is a love story told in the first person by Stephen Stratton, who looks back over his life and sets down what his love for one woman, Mary, has cost him and taught him.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A man looks back on his life
The story is told by Stephen Stratton, who writes in the first person and addresses his account to a reader close to him, in a spirit of frankness. He does not offer a tidy tale. He tries to explain how he became the man he is, and he says plainly that love has shaped him more than ambition or work.
This frame matters because it gives the book its tone. Stephen is not a hero who knows his own mind from the start. He is a thinker looking at his own mistakes, and he is often hard on himself. You hear a voice that wants to tell the truth even when the truth is awkward.
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, 5 accounts for the price of one. 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 - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Los amigos apasionados
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.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, 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. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Passionate Friends about?
It is a novel in which Stephen Stratton looks back on his life and his love for Mary. It follows their bond, her marriage to another man and the conflict between passion, duty and social rules.
Who wrote The Passionate Friends and when?
H. G. Wells wrote it, and it was published in 1913. It comes from his period of social novels, written before the First World War, when marriage and women's roles were widely debated.
Is The Passionate Friends a science fiction novel?
No. Although Wells is best known for science fiction, this is a realistic novel of love and society set in his own time, with a strong strand of reflection on how people ought to live.
The author
H. G. Wells
1866–1946 · English science fiction novelist
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer born in Bromley, Kent. He wrote novels, short stories and nonfiction. His novels included The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1898). He died in London.
More by H. G. Wells
All 37 booksMore like this
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
