Young Lives

"Young Lives" by Richard Le Gallienne is a story set in a late 1800s middle-class home, exploring the challenges and dreams within the Mesurier family, especially the strained relationship between a father and his children. The plot kicks off with Henry and Esther, who dream of freedom, bravely standing up to their parents, revealing their unhappiness and desire to escape their father’s stifling rules. The father, James Mesurier, holds firm to his old-fashioned values, causing a major clash and conflict when the children want nothing but to express themselves and find their own way in the world. As the story unfolds, the book explores rebellion versus love and the emotional challenges of breaking free from family expectations in order to live a more fulfilling life.