Adrift in New York

MP3 Audio CD. Horatio Alger, Jr., was best known for his rags-to-riches stories dedicated to young adults and Adrift in New York is among his best novels. Though he himself never knew real poverty ? his income dwindled during his last years, but his descriptions of the life of the poor were not inspired by his own experiences -, his writings offer a vivid account of penniless living and they offer something else as well: the hope that it is possible to make dreams of prosperity come true.

Adrift in New York features the theme that became known as the Horatio Alger myth: the story about a young boy who lives in poverty and decides to escape from his circumstances by means of his intelligence and hard work. The recipe for Alger's stories also includes the appearance of a mentor for the hero and the lack of a romantic plot line ? strangely, Alger's heroes never fall in love.

The story of this novel starts with introducing a wealthy man, John Linden. He prepares a will in which he names his heirs ? his long-disappeared son, his nephew, Curtis and his niece, Florence. In an attempt to convince Florence and Curtis to get married, Linden includes a clause in his testament that makes the marriage a condition for Florence to be able to come into her share of the inheritance. Curtis wants to get the entire inheritance, so he hires a boy called Dodge to steal the will. While Dodger is trying to accomplish what he has been hired for, she meets Florence who prevents the burglary and befriends Dodger. She decides to leave the Linden house and go to New York with Dodger to live in poverty. And who will the wealth of John Linden go to? It is a surprise left for the end of the novel.