Audiobook · read by volunteers
Brewster's Millions
George Barr McCutcheon (1866–1928)
Read by Lucy Burgoyne (1950-2014) · 34 chapters · 8 h 03
About the book
Montgomery Brewster is poor, and then, quite suddenly, he is not. A relative leaves him a very large sum, but there is a condition: he must spend every penny of it within thirty days and have nothing left at the end. If he succeeds, he stands to gain an even larger fortune; if he fails, he remains penniless. It sounds like an easy task, and Brewster soon discovers that spending money wisely, or foolishly, enough to get rid of it is harder than it looks. George Barr McCutcheon’s comic novel races through dinners, yachts, absurd investments and the mounting suspicion of his friends. Thirty-four recordings, a little over eight hours, for a light and amusing story with a surprising amount of sense.
Introduction
George Barr McCutcheon (1866-1928) was an American novelist who wrote many popular romances and comedies. Brewster’s Millions, published in 1902, is probably his best-known work and has been adapted for the stage and the screen several times. Its premise, a young man who must dispose of a fortune within a set time, has proved a durable one.
The story revolves around Montgomery Brewster, a poor man who unexpectedly inherits a great sum. The catch is that to qualify for a still larger inheritance, he has to spend all the money within thirty days and end up with nothing. He must also keep the condition secret. As a result, his behaviour looks increasingly eccentric to the people around him, and the comedy comes from the ingenuity with which he tries to be extravagant without gaining anything in return.
The book is also a mild satire on wealth and on the ways people behave when they believe someone is rich. It is more good-humoured than severe, and there is a love story woven into it.
The chapters are short and each has its own title, beginning with A Birthday Dinner and Shades of Aladdin. The recording has thirty-four files and lasts a little over eight hours. It is read by a LibriVox volunteer. It is an agreeable choice for anyone who likes light comic fiction from the early twentieth century. Several films have since taken up the idea, but the book keeps its freshness through its brisk chapters and its gently ironic narrator.
Public domain
George Barr McCutcheon died in 1928: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text