Summary
Summary of Gadsby
Key ideas
Key idea 1
A town wakes through its children
Branton Hills is a sleepy town waiting for someone to stir it into action. John Gadsby sees possibilities in its young people and puts them in charge of projects that adults have left undone. Parks, schools, a zoo and an airport become part of a comic story about community.
Ernest Vincent Wright gives himself another task alongside telling that story: writing a whole novel without the letter E. The town's growth unfolds within that unusual writing rule.
Key idea 2
Gadsby listens where others dismiss
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Key idea 3
Real responsibility wins over doubters
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Key idea 4
Shared pleasures create public pride
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Key idea 5
A city must care for people
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Key idea 6
Public service brings public responsibility
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Key idea 7
Children imagine what adults overlook
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Key idea 8
Family life shares the public stage
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Key idea 9
Trust and kindness guide the town
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
You will enjoy this if you like warm, funny small-town stories, word games and writing feats, or ideas about raising and trusting children. Teachers, parents and anyone who loves a community project will find plenty to enjoy.
What this book is
Can a whole novel be written without the letter E? Ernest Vincent Wright takes up the challenge in Gadsby, a story about a sleepy town called Branton Hills and the man who wakes it up. John Gadsby puts young people in charge of building parks, schools, a zoo and an airport. You get a lively, comic tale of community, plus a close look at an amazing feat of writing. First, meet the town itself, and see why it needs a champion.
In this summary
- 1A sleepy town needs a champion for its youngFree
- 2Give young people real work and they deliver
- 3Parks, a library and a band change the town
- 4Praise the young and they grow bolder
- 5Kindness reaches those who cannot ask
- 6Good works win office and build a hospital
- 7Children's wild ideas become city landmarks
- 8A family's joys sit beside the public story
- 9Youth knows what grown people forget
Key point 1 of 9
A sleepy town needs a champion for its young
Branton Hills is a small town in a rich farming district, and it is going nowhere. It neglects its roads and has no plans for new public buildings or parks. Its only links to nearby towns are the railroad and old Dobbin, the farm horse.
John Gadsby, a man of around fifty with two sons and two daughters, sees the problem. He is a loyal churchman known for honest dealing, and he cannot get the town council to spend a cent. Then he hears the high school pupils grumble that the town is a dry twig. Gadsby loves the phrase and builds a plan on it.
On a mild spring morning he sits on his porch with a cigar and thinks. Youth, he decides, is simply a start of thought, and young people see ideas that their fathers wave away. If the stubborn council will not move, the town's children can show the wealthy citizens what money could do. That plan is the engine of the whole book.
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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Check yourself
What does Gadsby believe will help young people prove their abilities?
Right. “Give young people a real job and a fair hearing, and the doubters start to follow.”Not quite. “Give young people a real job and a fair hearing, and the doubters start to follow.”
Why does Gadsby reject Frank Morgan's idea that his word could be law?
Right. “Gadsby laughs and explains that a mayor must face a council and that a ruler who makes all the laws is a tyrant.”Not quite. “Gadsby laughs and explains that a mayor must face a council and that a ruler who makes all the laws is a tyrant.”
What belief connects Gadsby's outings and music for people confined to their homes?
Right. “Gadsby argues that a city is its people, not its blocks of buildings.”Not quite. “Gadsby argues that a city is its people, not its blocks of buildings.”
Who’s who
- John Gadsby
- John Gadsby is a respected Branton Hills resident who seeks purpose by organizing the town's young people.
- Ruth Gadsby
- Ruth Gadsby is John's supportive wife, encouraging him to find meaningful work and renew his strength.
- The young people of Branton Hills
- The young people of Branton Hills are energetic youngsters whom John Gadsby trusts with responsibility for their community.
- The doubting townsfolk
- The doubting townsfolk are older citizens who question Gadsby's confidence in the young and worry about his plans.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 53,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 35 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Gadsby
What is Gadsby about?
Gadsby tells how John Gadsby leads the young people of Branton Hills to turn a sleepy town into a thriving city, with parks, a library, a zoo, a hospital and an airport, while his own family grows.
Why is Gadsby written without the letter E?
The author set out to prove that a full novel could be written without the most common letter in English. He tied down the E key of his typewriter so none could slip in by accident.
Is Gadsby a true story?
The book presents Branton Hills as the setting for a story about what young people can do when given a chance.
Is Gadsby easy to read?
The story is told in short chapters with a friendly, chatty narrator, plenty of dialogue and lively crowd scenes. Its plain words and quick changes of scene make it easy to follow.
Who are the main characters in Gadsby?
The center is John Gadsby, mayor of Branton Hills, with his wife and children Julius, Bill, Nancy and Kathlyn. Around them are the Youth Organization, Lady Standish, and the grumbling councilman Old Bill Simpkins.
