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Cover of My Uncle Florimond

My Uncle Florimond

by Henry Harland (1861–1905)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 6 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"My Uncle Florimond" by Henry Harland is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story introduces a young boy named Gregory Brace, who is raised by his strict Uncle Peter after his parents' deaths, and is deeply influenced by his loving grandmother, a French émigré. This familial dynamic sets the stage for Gregory's struggles and aspirations, particularly concerning his idolized Uncle Florimond, who resides in France and embodies the nobility and gallantry that Gregory admires. The opening of the book details Gregory's troubled childhood living under the oppressive guardianship of Uncle Peter, whose stern demeanor sparks fear in the boy. He fondly remembers his grandmother's kindness and her stories about Uncle Florimond, which fill him with wonder and longing. As the narrative unfolds, Gregory receives a beautiful golden-hilted sword from his grandmother and a coveted book from Florimond, igniting his ambition to emulate his uncle's nobility. Yet, the darkening events caused by war and personal loss lead to a pivotal moment in Gregory’s life, pushing him to seek a new future—ultimately leading him to New York City for opportunities and self-discovery.

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  • Orphans
  • Conduct of life
  • Children · Conduct of life
  • Grandmothers
  • Children and death
  • Uncles
  • Diligence
  • Success

Read the opening

Chapter I. — The Nephew of a Marquis

Both of my parents died while I was still a baby; and I passed my childhood at the home of my father's mother in Norwich Town—which lies upon the left bank of the river Yantic, some three miles to the north of Norwich City, in Eastern Connecticut.

My father's mother, my dear old grandmother, was a French lady by birth; and her maiden name had been quite an imposing one—Aurore Aline Raymonde Marie Antoinette de la Bourbonnaye. But in 1820, when she was nineteen years old, my grandfather had persuaded her to change it for plain and simple Mrs. Brace; from which it would seem that my grandfather must have been a remarkably persuasive man. At that time she lived in Paris with her father and mother, who were very lofty, aristocratic people—the Marquis and Marquise de la Bourbonnaye. But after her marriage she followed her husband across the ocean to his home in Connecticut, where in 1835 he died, and where she had remained ever since. She had had two children: my father, Edward, whom the rebels shot at the Battle of Bull Run in July, 1861, and my father's elder brother, my Uncle Peter, who had never married, and who was the man of our house in Norwich.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I. — The Nephew of a Marquis
  2. Chapter II — I Make a Friend
  3. Chapter III. — New York
  4. Chapter IV — At Mr. Finkelstein's
  5. Chapter V — Pride and a Fall
  6. Chapter VI — My Uncle Florimond

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About this edition

This free edition of My Uncle Florimond by Henry Harland comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #50698, released 2015-12-15. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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