Cover of The Man of Iron

The Man of Iron

  • Free to read
  • 16 hours to read
  • 79 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The Man of Iron" by Richard Dehan is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story centers around Patrick Carolan Breagh, a young boy, as he grapples with profound themes of identity, family, and the passage from childhood into a more complex adult world. Set against a backdrop of societal change and personal tumult, the book explores the effects of war and disillusionment on individuals and families. The opening of "The Man of Iron" introduces us to a crucial moment in young Carolan's life as he learns the painful truth about his family history and the death of his mother, Milly. On his birthday, dressed in new breeches, he accidentally overhears a conversation revealing the secret of his lineage and the neglect he feels from his stepmother, Mrs. Breagh. As Carolan continues to navigate these revelations, he is forced to confront complex feelings about love, loss, and his place in a world shaped by war and personal expectations. Through vivid imagery and rich emotional depth, the narrative crafts a compelling journey of self-discovery and resilience in the face of adversity.

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  • Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871

Read the opening

Chapter I

When Patrick Carolan Breagh attained the age of six years, the boy being tall enough to view his own topknot of scarlet curls and freckled snub nose in the big shining mirror of his stepmother's toilet-table, without standing on the tin bonnet-box that was kept under the chintz cover, or climbing on a chair,—he was fated to acquire, during one brief half-hour's concealment under a Pembroke table, more knowledge of Life, Death, and the value of Money, than would otherwise have come to him in the course of half a dozen more years.

Upon this unforgetable third of January, his plaid frock had been taken off and, to his infinite delight, replaced by a little pair of blue cloth breeches and a roundabout jacket. Amateurish as to cut, the nether garments displaying so little difference fore and aft that it did not matter in the least which way you faced when you stepped into them, they were yet splendid,—not only in Carolan's eyes. Alan, his junior by three years, bellowed with envy on beholding them; and four-year-old Monica sucked her finger and stared with all her might.

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Contents

Show all 79 chapters
  1. Preface
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV
  16. Chapter XV
  17. Chapter XVI
  18. Chapter XVII
  19. Chapter XVIII
  20. Chapter XIX
  21. Chapter XX
  22. Chapter XXI
  23. Chapter XXII
  24. Chapter XXIII
  25. Chapter XXIV
  26. Chapter XXV
  27. Chapter XXVI: The Chancellor said, emptying another bumper of champagne
  28. Chapter XXVII
  29. Chapter XVIII
  30. Chapter XXIX
  31. Chapter XXX
  32. Chapter XXXI
  33. Chapter XXXII
  34. Chapter XXXIII
  35. Chapter XXXIV
  36. Chapter XXXV
  37. Chapter XXXVI
  38. Chapter XXXVII
  39. Chapter XXXVIII
  40. Chapter XXXIX
  41. Chapter XL
  42. Chapter XLI
  43. Chapter XLII
  44. Chapter XLIII
  45. Chapter XLIV
  46. Chapter XLV: Bismarck said, lowering his binoculars
  47. Chapter XLVI
  48. Chapter XLVII
  49. Chapter XLVIII
  50. Chapter XLIX
  51. Chapter L
  52. Chapter LI
  53. Chapter LII
  54. Chapter LIII
  55. Chapter LIV
  56. Chapter LV
  57. Chapter LVI
  58. Chapter LVII
  59. Chapter LVIII
  60. Chapter LIX
  61. Chapter LX
  62. Chapter LXI
  63. Chapter LXII
  64. Chapter LXIII
  65. Chapter LXIV
  66. Chapter LXV
  67. Chapter LXVI
  68. Chapter LXVII: Meanwhile, the Man of Iron had commented to Hatzfeldt
  69. Chapter LXVIII
  70. Chapter LXIX
  71. Chapter LXX
  72. Chapter LXXI
  73. Chapter LXXII
  74. Chapter LXXIII
  75. Chapter LXXIV
  76. Chapter LXXV
  77. Chapter LXXVI
  78. Chapter LXXVII
  79. Chapter LXXVIII

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About this edition

This free edition of The Man of Iron by Richard Dehan comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #75200, released 2025-01-24. 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.

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