Book 9780461786552. This item is unavailable.Book 9780461786552

Restless Human Hearts: A Novel is a sprawling late-Victorian realist-psychological drama set among Bourne Manor, London, Avonbourne, and a web of power, wealth, and desire. The narrative centers on a constellation of figures—Heloise Fontenoy, Noel Brandon, Louis Fontenoy, Carlotta Knoyle, Pierce Fontenoy, Georgiana Knoyle, Neville Brandon, Horton Knoyle—whose passions, loyalties, and schemes collide across estates, hotels, and salons. Noel pursues Heloise with a restless ardor that tests marriage, honor, and social reputation; Carlotta uses charm and manipulation to climb power's ladder; Louis schemes for independence and control, sometimes through threats of divorce or ruin. Georgiana and Neville champion reform-minded notions of marriage, wealth, and gender roles, while Pierce offers moderation and forgiveness; Horton embodies wealth-driven calculation. A late-Victorian collision culminates in confrontations at Bourne Manor, where elopement, duels, and a web of loyalties reconfigure family bonds. The excerpt probes restlessness, the price of passion, and the fragile balance between private longing and public propriety.