The Road to Understanding

Eleanor H. Porter (1868 - 1920)

"If Burke Denby had not been given all the frosted cakes and toy shotguns he wanted at the age of ten, it might not have been so difficult to convince him at the age of twenty that he did not want to marry Helen Barnet."

"Of course the inevitable happened. However near two roads may be at the start, if they diverge ever so slightly and keep straight ahead, there is bound to be in time all the world between them. In the case of Burke and Helen, their roads never started together at all: they merely crossed; and at the crossing came the wedding. They were miles apart at the start—miles apart in tastes, traditions, and environment. In one respect only were they alike: undisciplined self-indulgence—a likeness that meant only added differences when it came to the crossing; and that made it all the more nearly impossible to merge those two diverging roads into one wide way leading straight on to wedded happiness." (From the book)

This all sounds complicated. This complicated situation is conveyed to us by the couple and some of their friends. However, more complications rise when a daughter is caught in the middle - a clever and wonderful girl who had to endure a sad and bitter life: live with her abnormal mother and be employed by her father, without knowing it's him. Her parents know what's best for her, but does Betty know what's best for herself? Will Betty be able to forgive her parents? (Summary by Stav Nisser)

Genre(s): Family Life, Romance

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Dedication & Chapter 1: Frosted Cakes and Shotguns Mike Pelton
00:36:14
Play 02 02 - An Only Son Bellona Times
00:15:52
Play 03 03 - Honeymoon Days Bellona Times
00:17:29
Play 04 04 - Nest-Building Mike Pelton
00:28:28
Play 05 05 - The Wife Mike Pelton
00:22:25
Play 06 06 - The Husband Mike Pelton
00:11:41
Play 07 07 - Stumbling-Blocks Mike Pelton
00:32:40
Play 08 08 - Diverging Ways Mike Pelton
00:32:36
Play 09 09 - A Bottle of Ink Mike Pelton
00:50:15
Play 10 10 - By Advice of Counsel Mike Pelton
00:26:36
Play 11 11 - In Quest of the Stars Mike Pelton
00:13:59
Play 12 12 - The Trail of the Ink Mike Pelton
00:26:20
Play 13 13 - A Woman's Won't Mike Pelton
00:16:50
Play 14 14 - An Understudy Mike Pelton
00:24:05
Play 15 15 - A Woman's Will Mike Pelton
00:23:02
Play 16 16 - Emergencies Mike Pelton
00:25:59
Play 17 17 - Pink Teas to Flighty Blondes Mike Pelton
00:11:04
Play 18 18 - A Little Bunch of Diaries Mike Pelton
00:30:20
Play 19 19 - The Stage is Set Mike Pelton
00:13:35
Play 20 20 - The Curtain Rises Mike Pelton
00:14:11
Play 21 21 - The Play Begins Mike Pelton
00:18:00
Play 22 22 - Actor and Audience Mike Pelton
00:24:29
Play 23 23 - 'The Plot Thickens' Mike Pelton
00:12:46
Play 24 24 - Counter-Plots Mike Pelton
00:13:49
Play 25 25 - Enigmas Mike Pelton
00:14:52
Play 26 26 - The Road to Understanding Mike Pelton
00:24:21