The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman — J.P. Donleavy

Semi-orphaned, semi-legitimate heir to crumbling Andromeda Park in the lush beauty of the Irish country-side, Darcy Dancer is raised by aging servants, tutored in basic skills by lovelorn Mr. Arlan, in hell-raising by incorrigible Foxy Slattery, and in love by his astutely aristocratic housekeeper, Miss von B. He grows up a complete gentleman only to be rudely cast out of his ancestral home, forced to seek his fortune among berserk fox hunters, destitute noblemen, lusty bohemian ladies, and shameless gamblers- to discover that his destiny, like his birth, rides on the 100-to-1 shot, and the sheer luck of a fast horse galloping against all odds to roistering victory! His future is disastrous, his present indecent, his past divine. He is Darcy Dancer.