7 h 49 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 49 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does an honest life cost when someone else pays for your comfort?
In the New York of the early twentieth century, Laura Murdock earns too little as an actress to support the life she wants. Wealthy businessman Willard Brockton makes up the difference, but his money comes with an expectation of loyalty. Laura longs for a life she can call honest.
Then Jack Madison, a hopeful young newspaperman from the West, offers love and marriage, but not wealth. Laura wants to become the woman he believes she is. Around her, theatre friends accept their own bargains with city life. To choose Jack, she must find a way to break her tie to Brockton.
What you’ll discover
- Comfort with a cost Follow Laura as the money that supports her also limits her choices.
- Love without a fortune Meet Jack Madison, whose sincere hopes offer Laura a different kind of future.
- A friend's practical view Elfie St. Clair accepts the city's bargains, giving Laura's struggle a frank counterpoint.
- Money behind the household Watch Annie, Laura's maid, who understands more about the household's finances than she says.
- Drama with difficult questions Enter a stage-rooted story that asks how freely a woman with few honest earning options can choose.
Who will love it
For readers who love stage-bound drama, stories of money and morals in old New York, and heroines facing choices between love, comfort and honesty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Laura lives on another person's money
- Her friends show her the world she knows
- A different kind of man enters her life
- She must choose between two lives
- The story asks what a woman's choices are worth
- A stage drama told in prose
Who’s who
- Laura MurdockA young New York actress who lives on a rich man's money and longs for a life she can call honest.
- Willard BrocktonA wealthy man of business who supports Laura and expects her loyalty in return.
- Jack MadisonA young newspaperman from the West who loves Laura sincerely and wants to marry her.
- Elfie St. ClairLaura's frank, practical friend from the theatre, who accepts the bargains of city life without complaint.
- AnnieLaura's maid, who watches the household closely and knows more about its money than she says.
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 49 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- 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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Read and hear The Easiest Way 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.
The Easiest Way
by Eugene Walter; Arthur Hornblow
New York actress Laura Murdock must choose between a rich protector's comfort and a young newspaperman's honest love.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Easiest Way is a novel of New York life in the early years of the twentieth century. It grew out of the stage play of the same name by Eugene Walter, which opened on Broadway in 1909 under the producer David Belasco.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Laura lives on another person's money
The story opens on Laura Murdock in New York. She is an actress, but her life is not paid for by the stage alone. A wealthy man named Willard Brockton keeps her in comfort, and she has grown used to what that comfort buys.
Brockton is not drawn as a cartoon villain. He is a man of business who is generous with money and expects something in return. Laura understands the terms of their arrangement, and so does he. Neither of them pretends it is anything but a bargain.
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What is The Easiest Way about?
It follows Laura Murdock, a New York actress supported by a wealthy man. When a young newspaperman offers her honest love, she must decide between comfort and a plainer, truer life.
Is The Easiest Way based on a play?
Yes. Eugene Walter wrote the play, which opened on Broadway in 1909 with producer David Belasco. Arthur Hornblow later wrote the novel version, which keeps the same story and its tight, room-by-room drama.
Who is Laura Murdock?
Laura Murdock is the heroine, a young actress in New York who has grown used to the comforts a rich protector provides. The story follows her struggle to live differently.
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