The poisoned paradise: A romance of Monte Carlo

"The Poisoned Paradise: A Romance of Monte Carlo" by Robert W. Service is a novel written in the early 20th century. The book appears to explore themes of desperation, hope, and transformation against the backdrop of Monte Carlo, focusing on the character of Margot. Through her journey, readers are likely to witness her struggles with her past and her aspirations for a brighter future. At the start of the story, we meet a boy drawing in a shabby room, where his mother reminisces about their origins in Monaco and the beauty of their homeland. The narrative shifts to the troubled life of Margot, introduced as an outcast in a harsh domestic environment with an abusive mother. Margot's distressing interactions at home drive her to leave, embarking on a journey through the city which seems to be filled with unpredictable challenges. We see her naivety and resilience as she navigates through harsh realities, hinting at her future encounters and the character development that will unfold as she seeks a new life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Robert William Service was a Scottish-Canadian poet and writer, often called "the Bard of the Yukon". Born in Lancashire of Scottish descent, he was a bank clerk by trade, but spent long periods travelling in the west in the United States and Canada, often in poverty. When his bank sent him to the Yukon, he was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush, and wrote two poems, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", which showed remarkable authenticity from an author with no experience of the gold rush or mining, and enjoyed immediate popularity. Encouraged by this, he quickly wrote more poems on the same theme, which were published as Songs of a Sourdough, and achieved a massive sale. When his next collection, Ballads of a Cheechako, proved equally successful, Service could afford to travel widely and live a leisurely life, basing himself in Paris and the French Riviera.