Author(s): Wilkie Collins

Classics

A delightful tale of thwarted ambition and forbidden love, "A Rogue's Life" follows the fortunes of an endearing young man. Proffering his own take on picaresque storytelling--and with many a grain of truth for twenty-somethings today--this is Wilkie Collins at his entertaining best. Propelled into society by his ever-hopeful father, Frank Softly is introduced to a variety of professions in order to make his fortune. Not industrious by nature, however, Frank finds working life a challenge, and by his 25th birthday, he has failed medicine, portrait-painting, caricaturing, and even forgery. Disenchanted with life, he despairs of ever finding something to commit to--until he meets Alicia Dulcifer and her inexplicably wealthy father. The author of "The Woman in White "and "The Moonstone, " Wilkie Collins is widely regarded as the originator of the detective novel.