The House on Curzon Street — Alan Caillou

In this adventure-packed novel, Alan Caillou re-creates an era of historical flamboyance and high drama that sweeps across three continents. Beginning in India in 1806 and ending in Florida at the conclusion of the American Civil War, The House on Curzon Street is a blend of the best elements of family saga, adventure and romance.

At the heart of Caillou's story is Peter Entwhistle, the elder son of an old and monied family whose men have traditionally made their names as professional soldiers. Peter, however, is not in sympathy with the elitist policies of British imperialism and decides to make a stand against them.

Young and idealistic, Peter leaves the home he loves in London's posh Curzon Street to eke out an ungentlemanly living in the sooty squalor of Manchester. There, as a pamphleteer, Peter takes up the unpopular cause of the working classes. His convictions are tested again and again as his new career throws his life into mortal danger.

Eventually the separation from his family becomes more than he can bear and Peter returns home - to Curzon Street. His residence there, though temporary, will change the course of his life: A tragic love affair and the birth of his son will send Peter far from England, first to Jamaica, and then on to Mexico. In the New World Peter and his growing family will endure hardship and violence, as well as the sweetness of good fortune, adventure, and always new challenges.

His family, now grown, will make a final move - this time to Florida - and here the first Entwhistle to be born on American soil will grow to carry with him the dreams of Peter, his grandfather. And undoubtedly, for him too, the house on Curzon Street will remain the symbol of family unity which every Entwhistle has carried with him through times of tragedy. . .and triumph.