7 h 1 minAudiobook3 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
In a city where you can invent a past, how do you know whose face to trust?
Arthur Hornblow’s The Mask brings mystery and deception into the drawing rooms of Edwardian New York. This is a city of newcomers, new money and curious eyes, where a person can arrive without a past and build another. Behind the face shown in public lies the question that drives the story: what is being hidden, and why?
A false identity puts more than one reputation under pressure. Friends, lovers and rivals can find themselves caught in a lie they do not understand. Hornblow brings his experience of the theatre to a tale of clear scenes, strong turns and rising tension. The pull comes from watching appearances strain under the weight of secrets.
What you’ll discover
- A face that hides Follow a mystery built around the uneasy distance between public appearance and private identity.
- New York before the war Enter a city where newcomers can build fresh lives and leave their pasts behind.
- Drawing rooms under pressure Step into society rooms where uneasy secrets make the work of keeping up appearances harder.
- The cost of deception Consider how one hidden identity can draw friends, lovers and rivals into its consequences.
- A playwright’s sense of tension Enjoy clear scenes and strong turns that favour mounting suspense over long inward reflection.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy period melodrama, stories of disguise and social pressure, and early twentieth century New York as a setting. It may be less suited to those who want deep psychological study or fast modern pacing.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A mask is a story about trust
- New York gives the secrets a stage
- Deception has a cost for everyone near it
- How a theatre man tells a tale
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- Large print hardcover
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The Mask
Hidden identities unsettle the social world of Edwardian New York.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A mask is a story about trust
The title points to the central idea of the book: a face shown to the world that hides another. Tales built on this idea start with a question that the reader holds from the first pages. Who is this person, and what does he or she stand to lose if the truth comes out?
In popular fiction of the Edwardian age, that question usually touches family, money and reputation. A false name or a hidden past can break a marriage or end a career. The reader watches each small slip with growing attention.
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Who wrote The Mask?
The Mask was written by Arthur Hornblow, an American editor, playwright and novelist who worked in the New York theatre world and died in 1942. He wrote fiction as well as work on drama.
When is The Mask set?
The story belongs to the Edwardian period, the first years of the twentieth century, and is set in New York. The city's fast growth and social change suit a tale of disguise and secrets.
What kind of book is The Mask?
It is a popular novel of suspense and social drama. Books of this type centre on a hidden identity, a guarded secret and the risk of exposure in polite society.
Popular in mystery and crime
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