14 h 4 minAudiobook6 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 if a drive through the English countryside leads straight into mistaken identity—and love?
In Set in Silver, C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson bring romance onto the open road. This witty novel unfolds through letters, with mistaken identity, motoring and sudden attachments sharing the journey. English scenery and country houses form the backdrop to a cheerful world where appearances matter.
The pleasures are gentle: lively talk, affairs of the heart and the freedom of travel in the early age of the motor car. The Williamsons keep the mood light and sociable. Read for the comedy of manners, the country house atmosphere and the promise of love along the way.
What you’ll discover
- Love on the road Follow a romance that brings the pleasures of travel and sudden attachment together.
- A story in letters Enjoy the letter form as wit, mistaken identity and romance share the page.
- The English countryside Spend time among open roads, country houses and scenery that shares the stage with love.
- Early motoring pleasures Enter the early world of motor cars, where travel brings a sense of freedom.
- A cheerful escape Settle into a relaxed pace, bright settings and lively talk meant simply to entertain.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy letters that sparkle with wit, old castles and cathedrals seen from a motorcar, and a romance where a secret keeps two people apart.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A friend asks for an impossible favour
- The dragon is younger than expected
- A motor tour through England's past
- Dangerous company joins the party
- Love grows on the open road
- The hidden past of the guardian
- A friend still needs help
- Courage on the moor
- What the story is really about
Who’s who
- Audrie BrendonA bright, funny singing teacher with a French mother, who agrees to play her friend's part and finds the role harder than she thought.
- Sir Lionel PendragonA forty year old baronet and former governor in Bengal, kind and quiet, who takes his ward on a motor tour.
- Ellaline LethbridgeA spoiled, charming schoolgirl in love with a French officer, who sends her friend to take her place.
- Mrs. SenterA witty, scheming widow who wants to become Lady Pendragon and treats the ward as a rival.
- Dick BurdenA twenty one year old would-be detective who finds Audrie's secret and uses it to force his own wishes.
- Mrs. NortonSir Lionel's prim, devout sister, who prefers tidy churches to ruins and is afraid of motoring.
- Young NickSir Lionel's loyal Bengali chauffeur and mechanic, who adores both his master and the car.
- Colonel O'HaganSir Lionel's oldest friend in Bengal, the person he writes to about his feelings.
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
- 14 h 4 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 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.
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25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Set in Silver 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.
Set in Silver
by C. N. Williamson ; A. M. Williamson · 1909
A young singing teacher poses as her friend, the ward of a feared guardian, and tours England by motorcar.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What would you do if your best friend asked you to take her place for six weeks, and the guardian waiting for her was a dragon? In Set in Silver, C. N. and A. M. Williamson tell the story in letters, mostly from a young singing teacher named Audrie Brendon to her mother.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A friend asks for an impossible favour
The story opens with a letter from Audrie's home in Versailles. Audrie Brendon, a twenty year old singing teacher, writes to her mother in Switzerland. Her rich pupil Ellaline Lethbridge wants her to take her place for a few weeks.
Ellaline is secretly in love with a French officer, Honoré du Guesclin. Her guardian, Sir Lionel Pendragon, is just back from Bengal and is on his way to collect her. Ellaline believes he is a cold brute who will forbid the match, so she begs Audrie to play the ward until Honoré can take her to Scotland to marry.
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What is Set in Silver about?
A young singing teacher, Audrie Brendon, poses as her friend Ellaline, the ward of Sir Lionel Pendragon, and travels England with him by motorcar. The story is told in letters, and the secret and a growing love drive the plot.
Why is the book called Set in Silver?
The title comes from a famous speech about England as a precious stone set in the silver sea. The book opens with those lines and uses them to frame its tour of the English countryside.
Who is Sir Lionel Pendragon?
He is a forty year old baronet and former lieutenant governor in East Bengal who has just returned to England. Ellaline calls him a dragon, but the Pendragon name, supposedly from King Arthur's line, is part of the fun.
The author
C. N. Williamson
1857–1920 · British novelist and motoring journalist
British writer and motoring journalist, novelist frequently as duo with wife A. M. Williamson.
More by C. N. Williamson ; A. M. Williamson
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