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The Masquerader
Two incidents, widely different in character yet bound together by results, marked the night of January the twenty-third. On that night the blackest fog within a four years' memory fell upon certain portions of London, and also on that night came the first announcement of the border risings against the Persian government in the province of Khorasan the announcement that, speculated upon, even smiled at, at the time, assumed such significance in the light of after events.
At eight o'clock the news spread through the House of Commons; but at nine men in the inner lobbies were gossiping, not so much upon how far Russia, while ostensibly upholding the Shah, had pulled the strings by which the insurgents danced, as upon the manner in which the 'St. George's Gazette', the Tory evening newspaper, had seized upon the incident and shaken it in the faces of the government.
At eight o'clock the news spread through the House of Commons; but at nine men in the inner lobbies were gossiping, not so much upon how far Russia, while ostensibly upholding the Shah, had pulled the strings by which the insurgents danced, as upon the manner in which the 'St. George's Gazette', the Tory evening newspaper, had seized upon the incident and shaken it in the faces of the government.
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1904
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74 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Cecil Thurston
40 books12 followersKatherine Cecil Thurston (18 April 1875 - 5 September 1911) was an Irish novelist. Born Katherine Cecil Madden in Cork, Ireland, the only daughter of banker Paul J. Madden (who was Mayor of Cork 1885-1886, and a friend of Charles Stuart Parnell) and Catherine Madden (born Barry), she was privately educated. By the end of the 19th century she was contributing short stories to various British and American publications, such as Pall Mall Magazine, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Harper's Magazine, Windsor Magazine and others. In 1901, she married the writer Ernest Temple Thurston (1879-1933). They separated in 1907 and were divorced in 1910.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 23, 2015
This novel was a bestseller in the first decade of the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be adapted for the stage, it would be filmed four times over the years, but the creator of the work would see none of that; because she died in 1911, when she was just thirty-six years old.
That may be why she is so obscure; over-shadowed by the tide of great women writers who would emerge as the twentieth century.
I can make no claims for her being a lost literary great, but, on the evidence of this book and the one other of hers that I’ve read, I would say that she is a very fine storyteller whose work has stood the test of time.
This particular story opens on a foggy night in London. Two men nearly collide. When they speak they both notice that they sound alike, and when they see each other each man thinks that they might be looking in a mirror. They really are doppelgangers. As they talk they find that their circumstances are very different. John Chilcote is a member of parliament, aristocratic, wealthy, and prominent in the social and political world. John Loder, had a humbler background, circumstances had left him alone in the world, and so he lived quietly in rented rooms.
Chilcote learned that Loder was politically aware, eager to learn more about the role of a member of parliament, and ambitious to make more of his life; while Loder learned that Chilcote cared nothing for the things that interested him, and that his weakness for morphia was undermining his social and political life.
A plan – an outrageous plan – began to take shape in Chilcote’s mind....
Now at this point the story sounds strikingly similar to a couple of other books – ‘The Scapegoat’ by Daphne Du Maurier and ‘The Man Who Lost Himself’ by Henry de Vere Stacpoole. It is, but it predates both of those books, and it has a very striking difference.
What happens next is agreed by both men.
When the two men part, Chilcote suggests that they exchange cards. And, some time later he visits Loder’s lodging to try to purchase his double’s services; to step into his life for a period of time while he absents himself. Loder’s first instinct is to refuse,to say that it could never work, but Chilcote is persuasive. He explains that he is known to be eccentric, and that he is distant from his wife, family and friends. He plays on Loder’s desire to enter his world and his need for money. He wins him over, and he wins the freedom to indulge in his own vices.
I knew that it was going to happen, but the I loved watching this particular scene play out.
Plans are laid, and then the exchanges begin.
Loder throws himself heart and soul into the political world, he proves to have a wonderful gist for oratory, and he rekindles faith of the world in John Chilcote M. P. He finds it impossible to be cold to Chilcote’s wife, and so he explains that he is trying to overcome his vices, to be a better man. She is moved by that but he tells her that he will struggle, that there will be times when he struggles to cope – when the real Chilcote returns to his life.
It seems that the plan is working.
But the two men find it more and more difficult to return to their original spheres; Chilcote because of his craving for morphia, Loder because of his commitment to the work he is doing in parliament, and his growing love for Eve, Chilcote’s wife.
The story is compelling, the psychology is pitch perfect, and it was clear that the author understood her characters and their world very well.
There was a crisis. I knew that there would be, but I was sorry that it came so soon because I was loving following Loder in Chilcote’s world.
There would be some dramatic twists and turns before the story reached it’s conclusion. There were some contrivances, there was one very large coincidence; but I enjoyed watching the pieces fall into place, and I think that, as a whole, the story worked.
It’s a political thriller wrapped up in a psychological study of two men; it’s a wonderful human drama very well told; and I can understand why it was such a big success in its day.
That may be why she is so obscure; over-shadowed by the tide of great women writers who would emerge as the twentieth century.
I can make no claims for her being a lost literary great, but, on the evidence of this book and the one other of hers that I’ve read, I would say that she is a very fine storyteller whose work has stood the test of time.
This particular story opens on a foggy night in London. Two men nearly collide. When they speak they both notice that they sound alike, and when they see each other each man thinks that they might be looking in a mirror. They really are doppelgangers. As they talk they find that their circumstances are very different. John Chilcote is a member of parliament, aristocratic, wealthy, and prominent in the social and political world. John Loder, had a humbler background, circumstances had left him alone in the world, and so he lived quietly in rented rooms.
Chilcote learned that Loder was politically aware, eager to learn more about the role of a member of parliament, and ambitious to make more of his life; while Loder learned that Chilcote cared nothing for the things that interested him, and that his weakness for morphia was undermining his social and political life.
A plan – an outrageous plan – began to take shape in Chilcote’s mind....
Now at this point the story sounds strikingly similar to a couple of other books – ‘The Scapegoat’ by Daphne Du Maurier and ‘The Man Who Lost Himself’ by Henry de Vere Stacpoole. It is, but it predates both of those books, and it has a very striking difference.
What happens next is agreed by both men.
When the two men part, Chilcote suggests that they exchange cards. And, some time later he visits Loder’s lodging to try to purchase his double’s services; to step into his life for a period of time while he absents himself. Loder’s first instinct is to refuse,to say that it could never work, but Chilcote is persuasive. He explains that he is known to be eccentric, and that he is distant from his wife, family and friends. He plays on Loder’s desire to enter his world and his need for money. He wins him over, and he wins the freedom to indulge in his own vices.
I knew that it was going to happen, but the I loved watching this particular scene play out.
Plans are laid, and then the exchanges begin.
Loder throws himself heart and soul into the political world, he proves to have a wonderful gist for oratory, and he rekindles faith of the world in John Chilcote M. P. He finds it impossible to be cold to Chilcote’s wife, and so he explains that he is trying to overcome his vices, to be a better man. She is moved by that but he tells her that he will struggle, that there will be times when he struggles to cope – when the real Chilcote returns to his life.
It seems that the plan is working.
But the two men find it more and more difficult to return to their original spheres; Chilcote because of his craving for morphia, Loder because of his commitment to the work he is doing in parliament, and his growing love for Eve, Chilcote’s wife.
The story is compelling, the psychology is pitch perfect, and it was clear that the author understood her characters and their world very well.
There was a crisis. I knew that there would be, but I was sorry that it came so soon because I was loving following Loder in Chilcote’s world.
There would be some dramatic twists and turns before the story reached it’s conclusion. There were some contrivances, there was one very large coincidence; but I enjoyed watching the pieces fall into place, and I think that, as a whole, the story worked.
It’s a political thriller wrapped up in a psychological study of two men; it’s a wonderful human drama very well told; and I can understand why it was such a big success in its day.
Want to read
September 24, 201523 SEP 2015 - spied on Jane's feed. Bettie rated it at 3 stars equalling a good read.
Find it here - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5422
Find it here - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5422
July 28, 2020
This entertaining book is set in England at the turn of the 19th century, when the old class structure was still firmly embedded in society. Two identical men, one rich, one not, exchange places. The story line is intriguing and believable. Katherine Cecil Thurston leads the reader to wonder how this exchange will end: happily or not? Having read this book, I understand why it was a best seller for three years running in both England and North America.
October 19, 2013
Great story of intrigue that held some surprising twists. It provides a possible background to what it would be like to have not only an identical likeness but also a double identity. The precision required to maintain a double identity must be we'll calculated to which the two characters in this story uphold, especially when one is married. Interesting read.
April 9, 2019
Two men meet each other one night. They are struck, unnerved by their resemblance to each other. Jack Chilcote and John Loder’s personalities couldn’t be more different. For Chilcote has an addiction and Loder has ambition. Each man is in a position to satisfy his craving, if he lives the other’s life.
A classic tale of dopplegangers swapping identities with elements of a ghost story, a mystery, and a deal with the devil, mingled with an all-too human element of a man finding a place for himself, a job he’s suited for, and a woman he could truly love; only the place and the job belong to someone else and the woman is married to that someone. That someone offers these things to Loder with no concept of how much Loder values or will come to value them. It’s only to easy to hate Chilcote, only there’s something so pitiful about his doppleganger, it softens Loder’s hostility. There’s a complexity about their rivalry, the connection between Loder and Chilcote which gives extra dimension to a classic trope. I found myself sympathizing with Eve, Chilcote’s wife, even though she’s a dated ideal, defined very much by her role as wife. At the same time there’s something about the way her sympathies are engaged by Loder, the masquerader, who is so much less of a disappointment than her husband. I wasn’t completely devoid of sympathy for Chilcote either, although Loder is the character I ended up following and emphasizing with. This was a story I found hard to put down, the way everyone’s feelings evolved, which was well-written. There was an element of horror mingled with human sentiment, punctuated by moments of happiness which gave a very complete sense of the drama the characters were involved in. For all of these qualities, I give this four stars.
A classic tale of dopplegangers swapping identities with elements of a ghost story, a mystery, and a deal with the devil, mingled with an all-too human element of a man finding a place for himself, a job he’s suited for, and a woman he could truly love; only the place and the job belong to someone else and the woman is married to that someone. That someone offers these things to Loder with no concept of how much Loder values or will come to value them. It’s only to easy to hate Chilcote, only there’s something so pitiful about his doppleganger, it softens Loder’s hostility. There’s a complexity about their rivalry, the connection between Loder and Chilcote which gives extra dimension to a classic trope. I found myself sympathizing with Eve, Chilcote’s wife, even though she’s a dated ideal, defined very much by her role as wife. At the same time there’s something about the way her sympathies are engaged by Loder, the masquerader, who is so much less of a disappointment than her husband. I wasn’t completely devoid of sympathy for Chilcote either, although Loder is the character I ended up following and emphasizing with. This was a story I found hard to put down, the way everyone’s feelings evolved, which was well-written. There was an element of horror mingled with human sentiment, punctuated by moments of happiness which gave a very complete sense of the drama the characters were involved in. For all of these qualities, I give this four stars.
May 30, 2020
I have a 1904 edition of this novel, which I read about 30 years ago. I didn't really follow the political story too much. What fascinated me was the description of how " morphia" addiction was so horrible. The current opioid problems in the our society were occurring even back in 1904. The descriptions of the different life styles and environments of the two look alike men were very detailed. Of course, the perception of men and women's roles were also different, but it made the story very romantic.
January 24, 2024
I loved this book!
I am a sucker for dramatic irony. I loved the back and forth switches between the two men. The author kept me in suspense all the way to the end. Yes, I had an idea of the ending, but I didn’t know how the author would pull it off.
I am a sucker for dramatic irony. I loved the back and forth switches between the two men. The author kept me in suspense all the way to the end. Yes, I had an idea of the ending, but I didn’t know how the author would pull it off.
October 20, 2017
Interesting plot and twists. Enjoyed narration by Tom Weiss.
March 6, 2014
Read by Nicholas Boulton.
Broadcast on:
BBC Radio 7, 1:30pm Monday 21st June 2010
Duration:
30 minutes
Available until:
2:02pm Monday 28th June 2010
Category:
Drama
Broadcast on:
BBC Radio 7, 1:30pm Monday 21st June 2010
Duration:
30 minutes
Available until:
2:02pm Monday 28th June 2010
Category:
Drama
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2010
Ok, corny ending - but I still loved it!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews