The History of Henry Esmond by William Thackeray
When Henry Esmond appeared in 1852, noted writers and critics of the time acclaimed it as the best historical novel ever written.
'What spectacle is more august than that of a great king in exile? Who is more worthy of respect than a brave man in misfortune?'
Set in the reign of Queen Anne, the story follows the troubled progress of a gentleman and an officer in Marlborough's army, as he painfully wrestles with an emotional allegiance to the old Tory-Catholic England until, disillusioned, he comes to terms of a kind with the Whiggish-Protestant future. This change also entails a very uncomfortable switch in his affections.