About this book
A Gentleman's Gentleman 1909 by Francis Hopkinson Smith sweeps listeners into a warm, witty Edwardian tapestry of friendship, art, and the small absurdities of civilized life. This collection of short stories blends gentle humor and keen social observation as the narrator recounts encounters with characters like Sandy MacWhirter, the exuberant Lonnegan, and the ever-patient Boggs along the Thames and in London drawing rooms. Smith’s fiction captures the leisurely rhythms of 1909—studio easels, steamers on the river, tailor-made waistcoats—and the cultural contrasts between American exuberance and English restraint.
Through character sketches and episodic scenes, the stories explore themes of artistic ambition, romance deferred, and the bonds that hold a genteel circle together, all rendered in evocative period detail. The prose is conversational, affectionate, and full of small, memorable moments rather than plot-driven drama, making it a quintessential piece of classic literature and short fiction from the turn of the century.
Ideal for fans of character-driven historical fiction, lovers of classic short stories, or anyone who enjoys a finely voiced audiobook that celebrates manners, whimsy, and the art of storytelling.
