8 h 23 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 23 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a girl learns that money and love drive the world—and begins to trust her heart?
Phyllis Ladd loses her mother at twelve and finds comfort in a father she barely knows. Robert Ladd, a wealthy railway president, becomes her closest companion. Their evening talks bring laughter, business troubles, and lessons in human weakness. Phyllis learns to see through his eyes, even as grief sharpens her own feelings.
Around them, Carthage divides into separate worlds: the grand homes along Chestnut Avenue, busy commercial streets, and crowded factory districts. In Lloyd Osbourne’s Infatuation, love meets the demands of wealth and rank. Phyllis grows up within a tight circle of privilege, where comfort comes with expectations and strong feelings can pull against duty.
What you’ll discover
- A bond shaped by grief Watch Phyllis and her father turn shared loss into a tender, lively companionship.
- Behind the grand houses Enter Carthage’s wealthy circle, where friendship, business, and social standing are closely bound.
- An unexpected lesson in mercy Robert’s response to Joe Howard’s betrayal asks Phyllis to look beyond her anger.
- Money beside the heart Explore a romance where desire and class make personal choices carry a cost.
- A sensitive young mind Meet a girl whose sympathy grows alongside the worldly lessons her father shares.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy a headstrong heroine, a love story with real stakes, and humor in the dialogue will find plenty here. So will anyone drawn to stories of fathers and daughters.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Eligibility is not enough for love
- Two engagements reveal what she rejects
- A stage performance overwhelms her judgment
- Honesty reaches her beneath the performance
- Phyllis chooses beyond her father's protection
- Marriage meets drink and uncertain work
- Devotion becomes a daily craft
- Protective love can become control
- Love asks people to see clearly
Who’s who
- Phyllis LaddA rich, quick-witted girl from Carthage who longs for a man she can truly love and trusts her heart over every warning.
- Robert T. R. LaddHer father, president of the K. B. and O. Railway, who adores her and cannot bear to share her.
- Cyril AdairA brawling, vain, gifted actor from the slums who wants fame and, to his surprise, wants Phyllis more.
- Sally FenshamMr. Ladd's sister in Washington, a scheming social climber who wants Phyllis to make a grand marriage.
- J. Whitlock PastorA wealthy, correct forester whose cold manner makes Phyllis wonder who is under the polish.
- Baron von PillerA German attaché who delivers a memorized speech to Phyllis's father before becoming her successful suitor.
- Tommy MerguelisA gawky, grinning theater worker and former hypnotist's assistant who idolizes Adair and befriends Phyllis.
- Lydia de VereAdair's leading lady, whose hostility and jealousy make her a danger to the couple.
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Infatuation
by Lloyd Osbourne · 1909
A railroad president's daughter keeps falling for the wrong man, until a matinee actor sweeps her off her feet.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What would make a rich, clever young woman pack a dog collar and a nightgown into a small bag and slip out of her father's house at night to run away with a travelling actor? That is the question at the heart of Infatuation, a novel by Lloyd Osbourne.
Infatuation at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 50 min3 h 50 min fast, 5 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 69,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1909by Lloyd Osbourne
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 Motherless Girl Becomes Her Father's Companion
Phyllis Ladd loses her mother at twelve, and the book says this sets her apart for life. Early sorrow gives her a clear, sharp view of the world. It also gives her a father she hardly knew.
Robert Ladd is president of the K. B. and O. Railway. After his wife dies he is so low that he hands a friend a loaded revolver. He holds his small daughter like a shield against despair. Slowly their shared grief gives way to laughter and an hour of talk every night before bed.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1909
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Osbourne, Lloyd. Infatuation. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/infatuation.
Osbourne, L. (2026). Infatuation. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/infatuation (Original work published 1909)
Osbourne, Lloyd. Infatuation. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/infatuation.
@book{osbourne2026infatuation,
author = {Osbourne, Lloyd},
title = {Infatuation},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/infatuation},
note = {First published 1909}
}
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What is Infatuation by Lloyd Osbourne about?
It tells of Phyllis Ladd, the rich daughter of a railroad president, who rejects two fine suitors and then falls for a travelling actor. The story follows her marriage, the quarrel with her father, and their struggle in New York.
Who is Cyril Adair in the book?
Adair is a handsome, hot-tempered actor who grew up in the New York slums and learned to read and perform through a settlement worker. He plays Corrèze in Moths, and Phyllis calls him by that name at first.
What does the Golden Young Man mean?
It is Phyllis's joking name for the ideal man she hopes to find, a real man worth loving. She and her father talk of hunting for him in cellars, mountains, and ships.
The author
Lloyd Osbourne
1868–1947 · American novelist
Lloyd Osbourne was an American writer born in San Francisco in 1868. He was Robert Louis Stevenson’s stepson and lived with him in Samoa. They jointly wrote The Wrong Box (1889), The Wrecker (1892), and The Ebb-Tide (1894). Osbourne also wrote fiction independently. He died in 1947.
More by Lloyd Osbourne
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