A Prize for Princes
by Rex Stout 
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Aline Solini--a beautiful Russian adventuress who has abandoned her Russian husband and is now in search of greater conquests in Europe--arrives in Marisi, in the decadent days on the eve of World War I. She has been rescued by Richard Stetton, the wealthy playboy son of an American millionaire, who is on a trip to Europe to discover himself. Instead, the somewhat dim-witted Stetton falls into Aline's clutches, and she uses him and his money to win her way into fashionable society. Once she show more is accepted by the elite, her schemes move her closer and closer to the throne. "A Prize for Princes" is a charming period piece, with a languid evocation of a long-lost Europe that will captivate fans of Stout's later works, as well as readers of historical novels. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Published in 1914, A Prize for Princes was Rex Stout's third novel. It is the story of a villainous woman's treacherous journey through Central Europe, the men and women she uses, and her eventual fall.
I have seen it describes as a Potboiler; which might have been apt had it even the meanest shred of merit. But it doesn't. It is simply dreadful. Characters are (barely) two-dimensional, the plotting absurd, and the language pedestrian.
As a devotee of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels, I was drawn to A Prize for Princes by a promise in the Foreword to "broach three subjects associated with Nero Wolfe: the country where he spent his youth, how his marriage ended, and his feelings in general toward women." Maybe, but at a very heavy price!
If show more this is the only Rex Stout novel you have read you are unlikely to have gone onto his Nero Wolfe books .... which would sad. Because at their worst, they are a delightful. show less
I have seen it describes as a Potboiler; which might have been apt had it even the meanest shred of merit. But it doesn't. It is simply dreadful. Characters are (barely) two-dimensional, the plotting absurd, and the language pedestrian.
As a devotee of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels, I was drawn to A Prize for Princes by a promise in the Foreword to "broach three subjects associated with Nero Wolfe: the country where he spent his youth, how his marriage ended, and his feelings in general toward women." Maybe, but at a very heavy price!
If show more this is the only Rex Stout novel you have read you are unlikely to have gone onto his Nero Wolfe books .... which would sad. Because at their worst, they are a delightful. show less
Another which I don't remember reading, but think I must have. First published in serialized form, republished in the 90's when Stout became popular again for his Nero Wolfe books.
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Fictional European countries
58 works; 2 members
Author Information
377+ Works 50,342 Members
Author Rex Stout was born on December 1, 1886. A child prodigy with a gift for mathematics, Stout drifted as he became an adult, holding odd jobs in many places---cook, cabinetmaker, bellhop, hotel manager, salesman, bookkeeper, and even a guide in a pueblo. But his true talent lay in storytelling; he sold his first story, about William Howard show more Taft, in 1912. His most famous creation is Nero Wolfe, a 286-pound detective genius who, with sidekick Archie Goodwin, can often solve a case without leaving his room. It is the way in which the puzzle is solved that intrigues Nero Wolfe, who is much like Sherlock Holmes in his ability to use deductive reasoning. More than 60 million copies (in 24 languages) of Stout's books have been sold. Stout writes quickly, drawing upon a lifetime of impressions. He neither uses an outline nor revises; he lets his characters take over as the story develops. The classy, erudite Nero Wolfe presents for readers an alternative to the hard-boiled branch of the genre. He died on October 27, 1975 (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Rex Stout has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Prize for Princes
- Original title
- A Prize For Princes
- Original publication date
- 1994
- People/Characters
- Richard Steeton; Ailine Solini; Vasili Petrovich
- Important places
- Lovchen, Montenegro
- Important events
- Attempted poisoning of Vasili Petrovich by Aline Solini
- First words
- Richard Stetton stopped at the first turn into the main street and gazed down its length, lit by the soft brilliance of the moon.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Still, Naumann had his way in the matter of a certain date.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Romance
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PS3537 .T733 .P77 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1900-1960
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 112
- Popularity
- 290,986
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (2.73)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 4
