Riassunto
Riassunto di Oltre la città
A chi è rivolto
Readers who enjoy gentle comedy, lively dialogue, and Victorian domestic life, and who like to see a clever author of detective tales try his hand at romance, family loyalty, and good-humored satire.
Che cos’è questo libro
Beyond the City is a comic novel of suburban life by Arthur Conan Doyle, best known for Sherlock Holmes. It is set in a new corner of south London called the Wilderness, where three brand new villas stand across a road from two old maids in their cottage. It gives you a light, quick-moving story of neighbors, courtship, and a clash between old habits and new ideas about women.
Three households arrive, and each brings a different world. A retired admiral and his wife settle in with their stockbroker son. A distinguished doctor moves in with his two daughters. And a muscular, cigarette-smoking widow arrives with a snake, a bulldog puppy, and a large, gentle nephew. Doyle plays their views against one another, adds a family plot, a financial crisis, and a midnight visit, and keeps the tone warm throughout. Let us meet the neighbors, starting with what two curious ladies see from their window.
In questo riassunto
- 1Two old maids watch a strange arrivalFree
- 2A visit that ends on the sofa
- 3Three households and a shared lawn
- 4Mrs. Westmacott wins over the Admiral
- 5Two proposals, one clumsy and one earnest
- 6The sisters plot to save their father
- 7The household turns upside down
- 8A crash in the City and the Admiral's sacrifice
- 9What the story is about and how it is told
Punto chiave 1 di 9
Two old maids watch a strange arrival
The story opens in the Wilderness, a new neighborhood of south London. Two little old ladies, Miss Bertha and Miss Monica Williams, watch from behind their lace curtains as a cab pulls up at number three. The cabman is piled high with boxing gloves, Indian clubs, dumbbells, golf clubs, and a cricket bag.
A big young man steps out with a bulldog puppy, then a tall, handsome, older woman springs out unaided. She wears a short blue skirt and a man's felt hat. When the cabman demands more than she wishes to pay, she shakes him by the neckerchief and bangs his head against his own cab. The sisters sit speechless.
We learn that the sisters once owned all these fields. Their father's cottage was surrounded by brick as the city grew, and they sold the last field with heavy hearts. Now they wish they had kept it. The scene sets the comic tone, and it shows how Doyle uses the two ladies as a chorus. They see everything, they judge everything, and they frame the whole tale.
The new arrivals are Mrs. Westmacott, a widow, and her nephew Charles. The sisters, being polite, feel they must call on their new neighbors despite their fears.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Oltre la città
What is Beyond the City about?
It follows three families who move into new villas in a London suburb. A reforming widow, a retired admiral, and a doctor and his daughters argue, court, plot, and help each other when a City swindle threatens one family's honor.
Who is Mrs. Westmacott in Beyond the City?
She is a strong-minded widow who travels the world, keeps a rock snake named Eliza, rides a tandem tricycle, and sets up branches of the Emancipation Guild. She is generous and fearless, and the neighbors find her unforgettable.
When was Beyond the City written and is it a true story?
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote it in the late Victorian period, and it is a work of fiction. It reflects real debates of its day about women's votes and work, and the pressures of London's Stock Exchange.
Is Beyond the City a comedy or a serious novel?
It is mainly a comedy, with sparkling dialogue, farce scenes, and affectionate satire. Its short chapters and clear storytelling make it easy to follow, and a serious thread about honor and family loyalty adds feeling.
What is the main message of Beyond the City?
The book suggests that old values and new ideas can both hold truth, and that kindness, courage, and loyalty matter more than money or fashion. It also makes the case for fair treatment of women, with good humor.