Daphne Bruno by Ernest Raymond
"Daphne Bruno" by Ernest Raymond is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a family and coming‑of‑age story shaped by the charismatic critic T. Tenter Bruno and the formative childhood of his daughter Daphne. Around them gather Daphne’s gentle brother Owen, the warm, commonsense servant Hollins, and the strict, status‑conscious guardian Miss Durgon, with themes of intellect, class, religion, and parental influence threaded through domestic life. The
opening of the novel follows Mr. Tenter Bruno—successful, vain, and self‑aware—as he awaits news of his first child, is moved to tenderness by the newborn Daphne, and muses about a personal creed of pity amid his skepticism and pose. We also see Sheila, his young wife, suffer through childbirth with raw fear, later conceive again, and die after Owen’s birth, leaving Bruno grieving and his sister installing a “lady housekeeper,” Miss Durgon, whose genteel severity immediately clashes with loyal Hollins. A vivid shift to London life brings Daphne’s earliest memories: the nursery with Owen, her father’s playful mornings, the contrast between Hollins’s warmth and Miss Durgon’s correctness, and the family’s move to a tall West Kensington house with its new city sounds and rituals, from church processions to muffin bells and chestnuts by the fire. As her father departs on distant travels, Daphne’s tastes and spirit sharpen—loving Grimm, puzzled by Andersen, drawn to being “tomboyish”—ending with her quietly testing Hollins’s view of Miss Durgon. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Raymond, Ernest, 1888-1974 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 26006908 |
| Title | Daphne Bruno |
| Original Publication | New York: George H. Doran Company, 1926. |
| Note | Sequel: The fulfilment of Daphne Bruno. |
| Credits | Al Haines |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | English fiction -- 20th century |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78201 |
| Release Date | Mar 14, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 217 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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