The Four Roads: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The Four Roads: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

The Four Roads is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Kaye-Smith, Sheila (1887–1956).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The Four Roads" by Sheila Kaye-Smith is a novel written in the early 20th century. The book is set in a rural Sussex community, where it explores the lives of characters caught in the turmoil of World War I. The primary focus in the opening chapters is on Tom Beatup, a young farmer who is grappling with the impending realities of war and the responsibilities he will leave behind at his family farm. At the start of the story, the setting is vividly established through descriptions of the Sussex landscape intersected by four roads, which serve as both a physical and metaphorical framework. We meet Reverend Mr. Sumption, who is deeply troubled by the enlistment of his son Jerry, and we see Tom Beatup reluctantly preparing to leave his farm for the army. The burdens of familial responsibility weigh heavily on Tom as he navigates the conflicting emotions of duty and the desire to protect his home. This initial portion of the novel suggests themes of sacrifice, the harsh realities of rural life, and the impact of war on personal and communal identities.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The Four Roads
- Author credits: Kaye-Smith, Sheila (1887–1956)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Sussex (England) -- Fiction
- World War, 1914-1918 -- England -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: British Literature
- Category: Historical Novels
- Category: Novels
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.



