A gently humorous and clean romance story with a fun ending. Re-reading as I’m disappointed in modern fare. I’ll get over it! 🙃
Well narrated by Bernard Mayes ( )

In the whole of this novella I was only bored during an unnecessarily detailed passage about portraits. Oddly, just as my patience was running out and I felt tempted to skip on, it comes to an end and the narrating character – Frank Softly – apologises for the diversion!

Apart from the above, my attention was engaged throughout. Frank Softly – the rogue – is a strong main character and first-person narrator. He lives a shameless existence for much of his life, until he’s struck by the lovebug.

Much of the first half reads like a memoir. Frank moves from occupation to occupation until his love interest leads him to a dangerous situation.

Detective elements are apparent throughout the narrative. Most of the mysteries are not predictable – to me, anyway – which makes for engaging reading.

Humour is often at the forefront. The scene that amused me most is when Frank is painting his brother-in-law’s portrait and his sister pays him a begrudging visit. The sister is one of those fussy, complaining types who are a nightmare in real life, but wonderful in fiction. It’s a shame she doesn’t feature more than in this one short scene, which is fantastic.

If you fancy a quick read/listen, this is well worth checking out. ( )

A Rogue's Life by Wilkie Collins is a highly diverting little read that feels like a cross between Three Men in a Boat and a Jeeves novel. Frank Softly, a self-professed Rogue, tells the story of his escapades on the outskirts of respectability. As a young man finding his way in life, he is prevented from honest labor by the family's high connections but hampered by their distinct lack of money. After breaking with his family, he lightheartedly takes up a variety of legal and illegal pursuits until he suddenly finds himself a captive to a notorious coiner, Dr. Dulcifer (you have to admit Collins has a genius for character names).

It's all written in the most jovial, humorous manner, though the tone changes in the last half of the book when things get serious. Frank's adventures as a caricaturist, portrait-painter, picture-forger, secretary, and finally coiner are quite comic told in his Wooster-ish voice. You feel that you ought not to laugh at his easy morality, but it's hard to resist his irrepressible spirits and sly observations on society's foibles. Even his dawning repentance is funny:

"Moralists will be glad to hear that I really suffered acute mental misery at this time of my life. My state of depression would have gratified the most exacting of Methodists, and my penitent face would have made my fortune if I could only have been exhibited by a reformatory association on the platform of Exeter Hall."

All ends happily, despite Frank's transportation to Australia. There he marries his wife (again) and becomes quite a wealthy and happy family man... giving hope to parents of Rogues everywhere, no doubt. This isn't one of Collins' major works, but its infectious humor makes it one that I'll revisit. Fun! ( )

This early novella by Wilkie Collins is a picaresque story of a young many from a good family who goes through a series of professions, from publishing anonymous caricatures of his unwitting friends to forging old masters to counterfeiting. His family isn't exactly blameless either: in a typical Collins device, a will leaves money to the rogue's sister and brother-in-law only if he outlasts his grandmother -- which becomes their motivation for checking in on the rogue every now and then.

The picaresque meanderings are interrupted by the rogue falling in love, an exciting escape/pursuit, and his becoming an honest man by getting married and settling down in Australia (the later location, against his will).

This novella provides only a distant glimpse of the best of Collins, which was eventually to come. But it is enjoyable and worthwhile on its own terms. ( )

This early novella by Wilkie Collins is a picaresque story of a young many from a good family who goes through a series of professions, from publishing anonymous caricatures of his unwitting friends to forging old masters to counterfeiting. His family isn't exactly blameless either: in a typical Collins device, a will leaves money to the rogue's sister and brother-in-law only if he outlasts his grandmother -- which becomes their motivation for checking in on the rogue every now and then.

The picaresque meanderings are interrupted by the rogue falling in love, an exciting escape/pursuit, and his becoming an honest man by getting married and settling down in Australia (the later location, against his will).

This novella provides only a distant glimpse of the best of Collins, which was eventually to come. But it is enjoyable and worthwhile on its own terms. ( )