House of All Nations (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Christina Stead
- First Published: 1938
- Type of Work: Intrigue
- Time of Work: The early 1930’s
- Setting: Paris and its suburbs, London, and Amsterdam
- Principal Characters: Jules Bertillon, William Bertillon, Claire-Josephe, Michel Alphendery, Aristide Raccamond, Marianne
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire, Political fiction
- Subjects: Politics, Crime or criminals, Social issues, Paris, 1930’s, London, Business or business people, Work or workers, Netherlands or Dutch people, Banks, bankers, or banking, Investments or investors, Commerce
- Locales: Paris, France, London, England, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Novel
House of All Nations is a fictional tale dependent on the dramatic events of economic history to substantiate its fantastic plot. At the center of the novel is the Banque Mercure, ostensibly run by the Bertillon brothers. The brothers’ official, legal responsibility for the bank’s mysterious but apparently successful inner workings, however, exists more in the minds of the institution’s clients than it does on paper. As Jules says, “It’s easy to make money. You put up the sign BANK and someone walks in and hands you his money. The facade is...
[The entire page is 1741 words long]
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