Lucas Malet is the pen name of Mary Kingsley, daughter of Charles Kingsley. She became a hugely successful Victorian novelist, rivalling Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy and Henry James. “The History of Sir Richard Calmady “ topped the best seller’s list of Publishers’ Weekly, receiving rave reviews and was considered “the best novel of the season”.<br /><br />The story follows the life of Richard, the disabled heir to a noble and wealthy family, but one which seems to be cursed through the generations. It is at heart a story of love in all its aspects – a mother’s love, (both selfish and selfless), love carnal and platonic, worldly and spiritual. After following the lines of Hogarth’s " Rake’s Progress" , it is ultimately a story of self-awareness, hope and redemption.<br />Summary by Stav Nisser and Anne Fletcher.
