The Fortunate Youth

MP3 Audio CD. The Fortunate Youth by William John Locke has been often compared to the story of Cinderella and, indeed, the novel features a young man who refuses to accept his life as it is and is not afraid to face difficulties in order to prove that he is destined for greatness.

Locke?s novel is eventful and exciting, to say the least. At the beginning of the story, Paul, the protagonist is a young child living with his mother and his stepfather who beat him and treat him badly. His strong personality helps him overcome all these difficulties and he manages to get away from his horrible family as well as from his menial job in a local factory. He takes all sorts of jobs ? he works as a male model for a while, then he takes to the stage. He goes through numerous adventures, from bankruptcy and illness to finding the path to success through politics. He eventually finds the fame that he was so determined to achieve, and the identity of his real father is also revealed by the end, which will, in retrospect, justify Paul?s conviction that he is not a simple boy, but a Prince.

Published in 1914, The Fortunate Youth is only one in the line of the many great novels and stories written by Locke. Most of Locke?s stories, this one included, discuss sentimental themes in an easy to read and entertaining style, full of excitement, twists and passion, in some books featuring protagonists that rise to fame and success out of nowhere, in others, such as in his well-known Ladies in Lavender, presenting the life of a small community. Locke was a very successful playwright as well ? most of his plays were dramatizations of his novels and short stories and they enjoyed huge popularity in London theaters.