Two Sides To Every Question: From A South Australian Standpoint

Maud Jean Franc (1827 - 1886)

'Two Sides to Every Question’: From a South Australian Standpoint is a meditation on poverty, wealth, and social aspiration set in the free settlement of Adelaide in pre-Federation Australia. The novel follows the lives of a cast of characters from different social classes as they negotiate the twists and turns in their respective fortunes. The newly-bereaved Alton family—an invalid widow and her two grown children, Tom and Nettie—sell their rural property and move to the slovenly back streets of the inner-city; they are determined to hold onto their dignity and values as they turn to earning a living for the first time. The wealthy Clinton family runs the stock supply business where Tom finds employment as a clerk. Tom’s boss, Robert Clinton, supplements his business income through trading mining shares. His financial success ensures his wife and daughters, Elsie and Lily, have access to the higher echelons of colonial society. Meanwhile, the Clintons' cousin, Arthur Delta, arrives from England to take a position in his uncle’s business. Arthur's mother has called on her brother's charity to help her family in their time of need. When Arthur and Elsie fall in love, the scene is set as he attempts to build his fortune to secure her father’s favour and, so, her hand in marriage. (Summary by kirstyl)

Genre(s): Culture & Heritage Fiction, General Fiction

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Chapter I - The Little House in the Back Street Kirsty Leishman
00:15:33
Play 02 02 - Chapter II - The Home of Wealth Kirsty Leishman
00:17:16
Play 03 03 - Chapter III - Castles in the Air Kirsty Leishman
00:17:53
Play 04 04 - Chapter IV - Boarding-House Experiences Kirsty Leishman
00:15:38
Play 05 05 - Chapter V - Elsie's Influence Kirsty Leishman
00:16:47
Play 06 06 - Chapter VI - Arthur Delta's Side of the Question Kirsty Leishman
00:12:34
Play 07 07 - Chapter VII - Flitting Kirsty Leishman
00:16:01
Play 08 08 - Chapter VIII - A Prize In The Lottery Kirsty Leishman
00:14:24
Play 09 09 - Chapter IX - Wealth Versus Poverty Kirsty Leishman
00:12:21
Play 10 10 - Chapter X - Temptation Kirsty Leishman
00:13:47
Play 11 11 - Chapter XI - Uncertainty's Cares Kirsty Leishman
00:15:29
Play 12 12 - Chapter XII - Nettie's Neighbours Kirsty Leishman
00:14:02
Play 13 13 - Chapter XIII - A Dark Side Of The Question Kirsty Leishman
00:13:20
Play 14 14 - Chapter XIV - Tom's Advice Kirsty Leishman
00:13:14
Play 15 15 - Chapter XV - The Delanys' Side Of The Question Kirsty Leishman
00:13:27
Play 16 16 - Chapter XVI - Farewell To Clement House Kirsty Leishman
00:11:24
Play 17 17 - Chapter XVII - Bitter Disappointment Kirsty Leishman
00:16:47
Play 18 18 - Chapter XVIII - A Moment's Delerium Kirsty Leishman
00:11:27
Play 19 19 - Chapter XIX - The Marriage At Clinton Park Kirsty Leishman
00:13:18
Play 20 20 - Chapter XX - Saved As By Fire Kirsty Leishman
00:15:37