Maradick at Forty: A Transition

"Maradick at Forty: A Transition" by Hugh Walpole is a story set in the early 1900s that follows James Maradick, a man in his forties facing the boredom of his everyday life with his wife and kids, and thinking about whether he is happy with the decisions he has made in the past. The book is about Maradick's internal problems as he deals with his family and his desire for a more exciting life, during a time of possible change. The story starts with the Maradicks going on vacation to a coastal town called Treliss. As they travel, we see that Mrs. Maradick is excited, but Mr. Maradick feels distant and tired. This shows the differences in their feelings and hints at the bigger ideas of unhappiness in their marriage, questions about life, and how time changes them while Mr. Maradick wonders about the exciting life he once dreamed of.