Arms and the woman: A romance is a novel that explores the internal tensions between aspiration and reality through the eyes of a young reporter in search of both love and professional recognition. The story opens with a chance encounter in a garden, where the narrator meets a woman whose beauty leaves a lasting impression on him. The encounter sets the tone for a journey shaped by admiration, distance, and the boundaries of social standing. Years later, a reunion on Block Island renews their acquaintance under changed circumstances. He has aged into experience but remains tethered to modest means, while she moves easily through the privileges of higher society. Their connection, both tender and restrained, unfolds in a world where professional dreams and romantic desires often conflict. The narrative reflects the personal cost of ambition, the quiet ache of unexpressed love, and the perseverance of a man unwilling to give up either hope or dignity. Through evocative dialogue and nuanced observation, the novel lays bare the emotional toll of trying to bridge divides that society resists closing.
American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter Harold MacGrath was a bestselling and prolific author. He occasionally finished more than one mass-market novel per year, with themes including romance, spies, mystery, and adventure. He was the first nationally renowned author hired to produce original screenplays for the fledgling motion picture industry. Additionally, he had three short stories and 18 novels turned into movies, sometimes more than once. Additionally, three of these books were turned into plays that were presented on New York City's Broadway. Although MacGrath spent a lot of time traveling, his home base was always Syracuse, New York, where he was born and reared. He was the son of Thomas H. and Lillian Jane McGrath, and he was born Harold McGrath in Syracuse, New York. Before publishing his first book, a romance titled Arms and Woman, in the late 1890s, he was a teenage reporter and columnist for the Syracuse Herald newspaper. The Puppet Crown, his subsequent novel, reportedly peaked at No. 7 on the New York Times bestseller list for the entire year of 1901. More than one mass-market novel about love, adventure, mystery, spies, and the like was still produced annually by MacGrath.
![Truth [Verite] Book I](http://www.double9books.com/cdn/shop/files/9789368098935_300179e1-8196-45a7-a5e3-156d28267b73.jpg?v=1742824179&width=200)
