The Market-Place

"The Market-Place" by Harold Frederic is a story set in a time that seems to be the late 1800s. It is about Thorpe whose world gets flipped upside down when he wins big in business, suddenly finding himself swimming in cash and control. This big change makes him think hard about where he has been, how he treats people, especially his sister Louisa, and the tricky parts of being rich and important. The book kicks off with Thorpe sitting alone, soaking in his win after a tough fight in the business world. He thinks back to the faces of his enemies and is over the moon at defeating them but is also bothered by what it all means. This is majorly a book about the characters and their feelings, and pretty soon Lord Plowden joins Thorpe, impressed by all that he has done, setting the stage for a partnership that has everything to do with ambition and climbing the social ladder. The beginning shows us what drives Thorpe, how he went from struggling for everything to having it all, and hints that some not-so-good choices were made along the way as he rose to the top, highlighting his interactions with Louisa, who doesn't trust his new life.