The Deemster

"The Deemster" by Sir Hall Caine is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story unfolds in the Isle of Man and follows the lives of the Mylrea family, particularly focusing on Thorkell Mylrea, who rises to power and faces moral dilemmas in his quest for social status and control. The book intricately explores themes of family, betrayal, and the consequences of ambition. At the start of the narrative, Old Ewan Mylrea dies peacefully, setting off a chain of events that thrusts his elder son, Thorkell, into conflict with his younger brother, Gilcrist. Thorkell seizes control of the family estate, Ballamona, while Gilcrist retreats into scholarship. After marrying a young woman named Joance, Thorkell's ambition grows, foreshadowing struggles between personal desires and societal expectations. The opening establishes a stark contrast between the characters of the brothers, which hints at the ensuing tensions and moral challenges that will unfold as the story progresses. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine, usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late 19th and early 20th century. Caine's popularity during his lifetime was unprecedented. He wrote 15 novels on subjects of adultery, divorce, domestic violence, illegitimacy, infanticide, religious bigotry and women's rights, became an international literary celebrity, and sold a total of ten million books. Caine was the most highly paid novelist of his day. The Eternal City is the first novel to have sold over a million copies worldwide. In addition to his books, Caine is the author of more than a dozen plays and was one of the most commercially successful dramatists of his time; many were West End and Broadway productions. Caine adapted seven of his novels for the stage. He collaborated with leading actors and managers, including Wilson Barrett, Viola Allen, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Louis Napoleon Parker, Mrs Patrick Campbell, George Alexander, and Arthur Collins. Most of Caine's novels were adapted into silent black and white films. A. E. Coleby's 1923 18,454 feet, nineteen-reel film The Prodigal Son became the longest commercially made British film. Alfred Hitchcock's 1929 film The Manxman, is Hitchcock's last silent film.