A Gray Eye Or So Volume I (Edition2024)

A Gray Eye Or So Volume I delves into emotional conflict, secrecy, and the complexities of human relationships. The protagonist, Harold Wynne, finds himself caught between his deep love for Beatrice and the societal pressures that force them to keep their engagement a secret. As Harold proposes marriage under difficult circumstances, his internal turmoil and anxiety over the future intensify. Beatrice, unwavering in her love, accepts the engagement, reinforcing the strength of their bond over external expectations. The novel explores how personal desires clash with reality, as Harold's actions lead to a moral struggle that tests both his devotion to Beatrice and his own sense of integrity. Themes of secrecy, duty, and sacrifice unfold as Harold faces the consequences of his choices. The story reveals the emotional vulnerability of its characters as they navigate the complexities of commitment, while the weight of societal norms looms over them. As Harold seeks to protect his love, the novel highlights the delicate balance between passion and responsibility, showcasing the emotional depth and moral dilemmas that arise when love and duty collide.

About the Author :
Frank Frankfort Moore (1855-1931) was an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet. He was a unionist and a Protestant from Belfast, yet his historical fiction during the Home Rule agitation did not shy away from themes of Irish-Catholic dispossession. Moore was born in Limerick but raised in Belfast, where he recalls seeing dragoons, sabres drawn, rushing sectarian riots in the street below his nursery window as his earliest recollection. Moore's father was a successful clockmaker and goldsmith, and the family was well-educated (French and German were both spoken). The elder Moore, however, as a member of the ultra-puritan Open Brethren group, wanted to limit his children's reading to religious and didactic publications. Michael Paget Baxter, the evangelist who recognized Emperor Napoleon III as the Beast in the Book of Revelation, was a frequent visitor. Moore attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where he swiftly learned to reject his father's ideas. He remembered the spread of certain slanderous lyrics titled "Mr. Baxter and The Beast," which "proved" that Baxter himself was the Antichrist. Moore praised Irish scientist John Tyndall's statement of scientific materialism at a British Science Association conference in Belfast in 1874, mocking the angry reaction of local Presbyterian ministers.