A Poor Wise Man (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Political ThrillerBy Mary Roberts Rinehart
Length15h 2m
About this audiobook
A Poor Wise Man is Mary Roberts Rinehart's searching social novel of post–First World War America, set amid industrial unrest, class resentment, and fears of revolutionary violence. Blending romance, domestic realism, and political suspense, it follows Lily Cardew, the sheltered daughter of wealth, as she confronts the moral costs of privilege and the seductive rhetoric of radicalism. Rinehart's lucid, popular style gives the novel narrative momentum while placing it within the broader Progressive Era tradition of fiction concerned with labor, capital, and civic responsibility. Mary Roberts Rinehart, best remembered for her mysteries and for helping shape the "Had-I-But-Known" school of suspense, was also an acute observer of American social anxieties. A trained nurse, journalist, and prolific novelist, she wrote during a period marked by war trauma, strikes, immigration debates, and the Red Scare. These pressures inform the book's urgent engagement with democracy, duty, and social reconciliation. Readers interested in early twentieth-century American fiction will find A Poor Wise Man both accessible and historically revealing. It is especially rewarding for those who appreciate novels that combine sentiment, social critique, and suspense while asking how private conscience may answer public crisis.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreMystery and Thriller, Romance
Length15 hrs 2 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 21, 2018
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26Chapter XXII
2Introduction
27Chapter XXIII
3Synopsis
28Chapter XXIV
4Historical Context
29Chapter XXV
5Chapter I
30Chapter XXVI
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter II
31Chapter XXVII
7Chapter III
32Chapter XXVIII
8Chapter IV
33Chapter XXIX
9Chapter V
34Chapter XXX
10Chapter VI
35Chapter XXXI
11Chapter VII
36Chapter XXXII
12Chapter VIII
37Chapter XXXIII
13Chapter IX
38Chapter XXXIV
14Chapter X
39Chapter XXXV
15Chapter XI
40Chapter XXXVI
16Chapter XII
41Chapter XXXVII
17Chapter XIII
42Chapter XXXVIII
18Chapter XIV
43Chapter XXXIX
19Chapter XV
44Chapter XL
20Chapter XVI
45Chapter XLI
21Chapter XVII
46Chapter XLII
22Chapter XVIII
47Chapter XLIII
23Chapter XIX
48Chapter XLIV
24Chapter XX
49Chapter XLV
25Chapter XXI
50Chapter XLVI
The Bat (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood7h 41m$2 · $0.00
Dangerous Days (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart14h 33m$2 · $0.00
The Man in Lower Ten (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart8h 3m$2 · $0.00
The Yellow Room (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart10h 41m$2 · $0.00
The Frightened Wife and Other Murder Stories (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart9h 18m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Murder Mysteries of Mary Roberts Rinehart - 25 Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart125h 58m$2 · $0.00
Long Live the King! (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart13h 34m$2 · $0.00
The After House (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart6h 20m$2 · $0.00
Tenting To-nightMary Roberts Rinehart3h 56m$1 · $0.00
Sight UnseenMary Roberts Rinehart2h 50m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Mary Roberts RinehartMary Roberts Rinehart203h 53m$1 · $0.00
The Man in Lower TenMary Roberts Rinehart7h 12m$2 · $0.00
Haunted LadyMary Roberts Rinehart7h 36m$1 · $0.00
The WallMary Roberts Rinehart12h 49m$1 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Mary Roberts RinehartMary Roberts Rinehart202h 51m$1 · $0.00
The Window at the White CatMary Roberts Rinehart6h 16m$1 · $0.00
The Street of Seven StarsMary Roberts Rinehart8h 42m$2 · $0.00
Mystery Cases of Letitia Carberry, TishMary Roberts Rinehart22h 53m$1 · $0.00
The Bat & The Circular StaircaseMary Roberts Rinehart15h 8m$2 · $0.00
The Breaking Point (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart13h 31m$2 · $0.00
Animal 3K’wan6h 33m$20
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m$8 · $0.00
Extinction WarNicholas Sansbury Smith12h 1m$23
Savy WisdomPeggy McColl2h 53m$15
3 a.m. Premium: Books 1–5Nick Pirog15h 27m$25
Farewell My Lovely (Annotated)Raymond Chandler10h 37m$2 · $0.00
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m$53 · $0.00
Tracing Killer EvidenceJodie Bailey5h 46m$12 · $0.00
AGATHA CHRISTIE Premium CollectionAgatha Christie37h 15m$2 · $0.00
Sign of the MakerBrian Shea7h 13m$17
No Sin UnpunishedLynDee Walker7h 43m$17
The Cases of Lord Peter Wimsey - Complete Series (Annotated)Dorothy L. Sayers148h 10m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock HolmesMade for Success14h 22m$25
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
Murder in the TowerRoy Lewis8h 23m$20
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m$46 · $0.00
JAMES BOND 007 Complete CollectionIan Fleming102h 36m$2 · $0.00
Deadly Badlands PursuitSharee Stover5h 53m$12 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 26m$2 · $0.00
Who Killed the Earl of Moran?Stephanie Laurens8h 46m$23
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
The Search (Annotated)Grace Livingston Hill7h 29m$2 · $0.00
The Captivating WarriorCami Checketts, Daniel Banner4h 8m$15
Sniffing Out JusticeCarol J. Post6h 28m$12 · $0.00
TimberTate James15h 36m$23
The ReunionJana Deleon6h 31m$26 · $0.00
Long LostLexi Blake13h 12m$23
The Vineyard BrideKatie Winters5h 5m$15
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m5.0 (1)$29 · $0.00
Wishes from the HeartSophie Mays4h 9m$15 · $0.00
Blizzard ShowdownShirlee McCoy5h 16m5.0 (1)$12 · $0.00
The Heart of CourageLynne Basham Tagawa10h 57m$20
Love Inspired Suspense October 2025 - Box Set 2 of 2Laura Scott, Carrie Stuart Parks, Jennifer Pierce17h 34m$35 · $0.00
Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters Book SetTalia Hibbert31h 7m$53 · $0.00
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m$8 · $0.00
The Newly Witch GameRobyn Peterman4h 39m$15
Arctic WitnessHeather Woodhaven5h 46m5.0 (1)$12 · $0.00
MaelstromBethany Adams17h 6m$25
Following the TrailLynette Eason6h 35m$12 · $0.00
Her Duty Bound DefenderSharee Stover6h 30m$12 · $0.00
You may also like
What Really Happened: The Lincoln AssassinationRobert J. Hutchinson8h$20
The BelieverJoakim Zander, Elizabeth Clark Wessel12h 48m$33 · $0.00
Saints and VillainsDenise Giardina20h 19m$32
A Bold and Dangerous FamilyCaroline Moorehead14h 30m$33 · $0.00
Dragon HarvestUpton Sinclair30h 15m$30
The Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson – History Of The First Attempt to Impeach the President of The United States & The Trial that FollowedEdmund G. Ross10h 8m$1 · $0.00
The Young Continentals at Bunker HillJohn T. McIntyre6h 15m$1 · $0.00
Whither Thou GoestWilliam Le Queux7h 47m$12 · $0.00
The Guns of HeavenPete Hamill5h 57m$20 · $0.00
The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas7h 33m$15 · $0.00
Eagles over BritainLee Jackson12h 26m$23
The Art SpyMichelle Young11h 51m$8 · $0.00
Substitution for the Testimony of Khalid Sheikh MohammedUnited States District Court Eastern District of Virginia2h 5m$2 · $0.00
The Walking DelegateLeroy Scott7h 36m$2 · $0.00
A Woman's Part in a RevolutionNatalie Harris Hammond4h 38m$2 · $0.00
Suspicion of RageBarbara Parker14h 11m$23
FirestormTaylor Moore7h 41m$26 · $0.00
The SuccessorStephen Frey11h 16m$30
John Lennon vs. the USALeon Wildes7h 52m$20
Barnaby RudgeCharles Dickens28h 20m$1 · $0.00