About this audiobook
The prospect of sudden wealth draws families, speculators and political operators into overlapping schemes in the United States after the Civil War. Land, influence and ambitious proposals promise opportunities that seem always about to become profitable. Colonel Sellers's inexhaustible projects and Laura Hawkins's involvement in political society reveal different responses to this atmosphere of expectation.
Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner connect private hopes with the public business of money and legislation. Persuasive talk can make doubtful ventures appear irresistible, while social standing encourages people to mistake the appearance of success for its substance. The pursuit of advancement continually tests relationships and judgement.
The novel satirises greed, speculation and political corruption without limiting its attention to a single schemer. Its title suggests a bright surface concealing less attractive materials beneath. Humour grows from the gap between grand promises and practical realities, presenting a society eager to believe that prosperity can justify the means used to obtain it.
