Two ways of facing life: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Two ways of facing life: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Two ways of facing life is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Burch, Florence E. (1856–1918).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Two ways of facing life" by Florence E. Burch is a didactic Christian novel written in the late 19th century. It contrasts humble duty and inner growth with shallow social climbing, following the upright carpenter’s son Joseph Adams, his status-conscious cousins Neville and Wilhelmina, and the thoughtful schoolmaster Mr. Girling, with friends like Cicely Anderson in their orbit. Through everyday trials and moral choices, it explores how character, faith, and service offer a sturdier way of facing life than vanity and ambition. The opening of the story introduces Joseph as a hardworking, generous teenager who defends the feeble “Daddy” David from street bullies, only to meet the disdain of his upward-aspiring cousin. A visit to the scholarly but careworn Mr. Girling sparks a mentorship that channels Joseph’s reading and self-improvement, while a glimpse of the Davids’ shabby home underscores the costs of resignation and drink. In sharp contrast, Neville and Mina court fashionable acquaintances, culminating in a party where Cicely is burned and later coached to be “circumspect” about Joseph, leading her to snub him in public. Inspired by a biography Mr. Girling lends, Joseph begins Sunday study and sets himself to useful learning. A Good Friday crisis then reveals his courage: he kills a vicious mastiff to save Mina, Alice Grandpont, and others, yet is fined in court; his father refuses charity and pays the penalty himself. The section closes with society still cold and Joseph quietly resolving to rise by work, learning, and right conduct.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Two ways of facing life
- Author credits: Burch, Florence E. (1856–1918)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Christian fiction
- Conduct of life -- Fiction
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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.
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