13 h 0 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 0 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Sunlit roads, fine hotels, and a chauffeur at the wheel: Europe opens up, but class still has its rules.
In My Friend the Chauffeur, C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson turn a motor journey across Europe into a light romance. The car is still a novelty, and crossing countries by road is an adventure mostly for those with money. Along the way, travel brings the pull of love into a world shaped by wealth and manners.
At the centre stands the chauffeur, a servant whose knowledge of machines sets him apart. He sits at the front while his employers sit behind: a simple arrangement with room for gentle comedy about class. The Williamsons bring a bright, playful voice to this Edwardian world, where the scenery matters as much as the pleasures of the journey.
What you’ll discover
- The open road Travel across Europe when the motor car makes the journey itself a fresh adventure.
- A different kind of servant Meet the chauffeur, whose place at the wheel brings practical knowledge into a world of privilege.
- Sunlight and fine hotels Enjoy a romance that gives European scenery room beside love and social comedy.
- Manners with a smile Find gentle humour in the distinctions between those who drive and those who employ them.
- A bright romantic mood Settle into the Williamsons’ playful voice and the light pleasures of an Edwardian road romance.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who enjoy sparkling comedy, travel through old Italy and the Adriatic, quick-witted young heroines, and gentle romance with a hint of mischief.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A joke becomes a real journey
- The road exposes the difference
- Beechy sees through the grown ups
- Terry keeps his courage quiet
- Maida begins to treasure shared moments
- The journey becomes a trap
- Character matters more than a title
- Affection grows through small gestures
- Adventure shakes people out of habit
Who’s who
- Ralph MorayA young Scottish baronet and newspaper editor who plans the tour to rescue his friend, and tells the first part of the tale with dry wit.
- Terry BarrymoreRalph's tall Irish friend, secretly a lord's brother, who must earn money as a chauffeur and loves his old gray Panhard.
- Beechy KidderMrs Kidder's daughter, who pretends to be thirteen, plays dolls with every grown-up around her and sees more than anyone suspects.
- Countess DalmarMrs Kathryn Kidder of Denver, a rich widow who loves crowns and wants a title, a thrill and a husband.
- Maida DestreyBeechy's beautiful, bookish cousin, sent to Europe for a year before she joins a Sisterhood, who loves history and good deeds.
- Prince Dalmar-KalmA charming but penniless Austrian prince who sold the Countess her estate and wants her money.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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My Friend the Chauffeur in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
My Friend the Chauffeur
by C. N. Williamson; A. M. Williamson · 1905
A newspaper advertisement turns a penniless Irish gentleman into the chauffeur of three American ladies.
Medium level5–10 hours to read16 languages
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In short
What would you do if a friend pinned your whole future on a newspaper advertisement? Ralph Moray, a young Scottish baronet who edits a small pink newspaper on the French Riviera, does exactly that.
My Friend the Chauffeur at a glance
- Reading time
- About 7 h 20 min5 h 50 min fast, 8 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 104,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1905by C. N. Williamson; A. M. Williamson
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A joke advertisement starts an unlikely tour
The story opens in a walled garden at Cap Martin. Ralph Moray edits a little paper called The Riviera Sun. He waits until Terry has read most of his advertisement aloud before he shows him the address at the bottom. It is Ralph's own villa.
Terry is tall, dark and in debt after losing money at Monte Carlo. He must sell his beloved Panhard motorcar. He calls the advertisement an insult. Ralph does the sums and shows that three ladies at five guineas a day would leave a handsome profit.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1905
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Williamson, C. N., and A. M. Williamson. My Friend the Chauffeur. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-friend-the-chauffeur.
Williamson, C. N., & Williamson, A. M. (2026). My friend the chauffeur. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-friend-the-chauffeur (Original work published 1905)
Williamson, C. N., and A. M. Williamson. My Friend the Chauffeur. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-friend-the-chauffeur.
@book{williamson2026my,
author = {Williamson, C. N. and Williamson, A. M.},
title = {My Friend the Chauffeur},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-friend-the-chauffeur},
note = {First published 1905}
}
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What is My Friend the Chauffeur about?
It follows Ralph Moray and his friend Terry Barrymore, who guide three American ladies by motorcar from the French Riviera through Italy and Austria toward Dalmatia, with comic mishaps, a scheming prince and a growing romance.
Who tells the story in My Friend the Chauffeur?
Five narrators take turns. Ralph Moray opens, then Beechy Kidder, then her mother the Countess, then Maida Destrey, and last Terence Barrymore. Each voice gives a different view of the same trip.
Why is Terry called the Chauffeulier?
It is Beechy's own made-up title for Terry, a joke that mixes chauffeur with a courtly knight. She says a man so handsome and well mannered needs a grander name than chauffeur.
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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