The Upstart

by Piers Paul Read, Robert McGinnis (Illustrator)

The son of a poor Yorkshire parson, Hilary Fletcher grows to manhood with a deep loathing of the smug and privileged upper classes, a loathing burned into him by his humiliation at the hands of the wealthy Metherall family.
His lust for revenge makes him break legs and ruin marriages, seduce the fifteen-year-old sister of his childhood friend and drive him into bankruptcy.
Hilary becomes a burglar, a pimp and a murderer, steeped in evil and debauchery, a self-made monster embarking upon his horrific programme of systematic vengeance...

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

British novelist and non-fiction writer. Educated at the Benedictines' Ampleforth College, and subsequently entered St John's College, University of Cambridge where he received his BA and MA (history). Artist-in-Residence at the Ford Foundation in Berlin (1963-4), Harkness Fellow, Commonwealth Fund, New York (1967-8), member of the Council of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (1971-5), member of the Literature Panel at the Arts Council, (1975-7), and Adjunct Professor of Writing, Columbia University, New York (1980). From 1992-7 he was Chairman of the Catholic Writers' Guild. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL).

His most well-known work is the non-fiction Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (1974), an account of the aftermath of a plane crash in the Andes, later adapted as a film.

Reviews

[Mrs. Morningstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I said it before and I'll say it again, when a book features a brilliantly done court case then 1 star is already gained.

This has not been read by many, but to me it has been a small hidden treasure. It amazes me how one moment of humiliation could change a person so kind, smart and down to earth into something so evil. To be lead into planning a revenge for 10 years straight and in the end, as all revenge paths do, lead to denial and guilt for the rest of his life.
It also gave a very good picture of what kind of 'humans' lived in the streets of London in the 1900s.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Very good writing and an unexpected turn of events.

[Mártin · Rating 4 out of 5]

curioso. se eu raciocinar algo concreto sobre vou dizer

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Class warfare gone haywire

The book itself is disturbing in that Hillary desends to depths far beyond simple sinning. The last paragraph even to the last line reminds us to what God asks of us

[Ayla Markovisk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Livro Ruim com personagens superficiais e um protagonista tedioso, que usa a própria futilidade pra ser um vagabundo inútil e fica se fazendo de vítima, nenhum personagem chama a atenção todos aparecem na vida do personagem pra que a estória ande nao senti empatia com nenhum deles.
achei uma leitura inútil

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Paulo Oliveira Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviravolta baseada em raiva e vingança. De uma origem humilde unido a um desejo de subir na vida de qual quer maneira e mostrar onde chegou por seu merito e realizar seu sonho de infância.