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Riceyman Steps
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Plot Summary of Riceyman Steps
"Riceyman Steps is a second-hand bookshop in the Clerkenwell area of London run by the miserly Henry Earlforward. Violet Arb, a widow who also has a shop nearby, comes to buy a cookbook from him, but then decides not to as she thinks the prices he is asking are too high. In spite of this they fall in love and marry. But he is irritated at the amount of money she plans to spend on the wedding, and once they are husband and wife he fears she will go through his savings too fast. He becomes more obsessed with saving money, eating very little and refusing to light the stove.

When he becomes ill, the doctor orders him to go to the hospital. Though he thinks he will lose his independence by doing so he is eventually persuaded, but as he is about to be admitted, they find that Violet is much more ill than he is. Their maid Elsie Sprickett has to steal money from him in order to send for news of Violet, fears that he will never get better unless he changes his way of life.
"

John Van der Kiste, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Riceyman Steps
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1900-1920's
Life of a profession: - businessman, small
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - trader
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Riceyman Steps
As The Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer
The Thousand Deaths of Mr. Small by Gerald Kersh
The History of Mr Polly by H.G. Wells
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
The Dream Years by Lisa Goldstein


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Arnold Bennett Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
John Van der Kiste  

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