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Andrew Wareham
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The Wages Of Virtue (A Poor Man At The Gate Series Book 8) Kindle Edition

by Andrew Wareham (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 339 ratings
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The Wages of Virtue…

It is a new era and the children must establish themselves as the next generation of the families. Still mourning the loss of his wife and new-born child, Joseph is on course for spectacular failure, and a serious mining accident adds to his sense of desolation. Overseas, Henry Star flourishes in the corrupt world of the Southern States Books best read in series order.

About the series:
The highly acclaimed A Poor Man at the Gate series follows the fortunes of young Englishman Tom Andrews, a petty smuggler turned ‘pirate’ and his friend Joseph Star, a part-Carib freed slave. After making a small but illicitly gained fortune aboard a privateering ship in the Caribbean and later in New York at the time of the Revolutionary War, they are betrayed and forced to flee to England.

They settle in industrial Lancashire at the beginning of the first great industrial boom; as unscrupulous businessmen they quickly become very rich. Wealth allows Tom to buy a landed estate where he hopes to be accepted by the local aristocratic families. This expansive and meticulously-researched historical saga tells of Tom and Joseph’s triumphs and disasters as they aspire to create powerful dynasties to rival any in England.


Published by The Electronic Book Company

A New York Times Best-seller Listed Publisher www.theelectronicbookcompany.com
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Previous page
  1. Book 8 of 14
    A Poor Man at the Gate Series,
  2. Print length
    243 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    December 5, 2014
  6. File size
    1331 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00QNHZ4UA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Electronic Book Company (December 5, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 5, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1331 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 243 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 339 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Andrew Wareham

Andrew Wareham

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Born agricultural working class in Hampshire and passed the 11+, took a degree that included Economic History, a fascination ever since, taught for ten years, worked with the Police Force in Papua New Guinea for another ten, took a few contracts in the Middle East as well. In between I was a constituency chairman for the SDP, married happily for thirty years with a son and daughter, was widowed fourteen years ago.

I write first of all for me, for my pleasure. That other people seem to enjoy my books adds even more to that satisfaction.

Where I offer a fact, I believe it to be correct, and will be very happy to be told if I am wrong. Where, very frequently, I offer opinion or interpretation, then I generally think it to be not unreasonable, but...

Besides that, I live with my son and daughter, three St Bernards and a neurotic English Mastiff, I collect pressed glass and have a general interest in antiques.

I intend to keep writing. I very much hope people will keep reading.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
339 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

D R
5.0 out of 5 stars Wareham does a great job with "Poor Man at the Gate" books
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Really love this series. I had a little problem when James, Robert & Joseph's names were mixed up a few times , but having read the previous 7 books I was able to clarify who was who. If you like well researched historical fiction I think you'll enjoy this "Poor Man" series.
One person found this helpful
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M Darrell Briggs
4.0 out of 5 stars Started out very good as a description of life in England
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2015
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Started out very good as a description of life in England.

It was starting to get tedious and rpredictable by the end of the last book of the series.
One person found this helpful
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Andrew Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2020
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A wonderful series. See my main review under Book 1.
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BoatBikeMike
4.0 out of 5 stars Another good read from Wareham.
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014
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The latest volume of poor man doesn't disappoint. Though not as exciting as the earlier books, I like the amount of time Andrew Wareham invests in his characters
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Jack S.
5.0 out of 5 stars A good series.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
The Poor Man at the Gate series is excellent. As a former Regency era re-enactor, the stories ring true. I'm just finishing the 11th book, and it holds my interest right through.,
One person found this helpful
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Tabby1249
3.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes continuing a series is not the best idea... *Minor Spoilers*
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015
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Because I loved the first seven books in the Poor Man at the Gate series and respect Mr. Wareham's research and writing skills, I am very conflicted about this book. Each of the first seven books kept me entertained and engaged. So much so, in fact, that I grieved at Tom Andrew's death in book seven, The Old Order. That book ended beautifully, the story felt complete and now, I think, should have ended the series.

As with the other books, this one is beautifully and richly researched giving the reader a detailed, if at times, weighty sense of the social, political history of late Regency England, her colonies and in America. However, with Tom Andrews and Joseph Starr having met their reward the series begins to follow the lives of their offspring. Robert Andrews and Matthew Star as heirs to Tom and Joseph, take up the reins as heads of their respective families and the story continues as we watch the progress of their lives and that of their siblings. Added to that are a host of secondary characters from the earlier books.

I have several problems with the series continuance after Tom's and Joseph's deaths:
1. In order to cover the activities of the Andrews and Starrs, the story jumps frequently from character to character and location to location: London, to Thingdon Hall, to India, to the American South, and so on. I found the frequent jumps distracting and frustrating. About the time I got engaged in the activities of a particular character, the story jumped to a new character and location.
2. The series and number of characters has grown so large over the course of the series that I have to, at times, stop to plow through my memory to remember the role and purpose of some of the secondary characters. Mr. Wareham, you might consider creating a Companion to the series if you plan to continue it much further.
3. I'm not sure if I can adequately convey that which is my greatest frustration. I felt that by the end of book 7 that I actually 'knew' Tom. That's part of why I grieved him at his death. Because Robert and Matthew had been secondary characters throughout the first books, I didn't feel like I knew very much about them and having read this book, I don't feel as if I know them very much better. That said, I actually feel like I know James and Joseph Andrews better than either of the two current heads of the family. I grow weary of the constant underestimating of James and would liked to have known more about how Joseph got through his issues with opium. There is almost nothing in this book about Charlotte. Luke Starr is a fairly new character that has potential.

Bottom line: Mr. Wareham gets an A+ for research into the social, political and economic history of the period and a D for characterization, storytelling and reader engagement. Because I so enjoyed the first seven books but found myself skimming and easily distracted from this book, I am not sure I will continue the series.
4 people found this helpful
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Carolyn S. Winnett
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2015
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I've thoroughly enjoyed this 9 book series. What a wonderful history lesson!
One person found this helpful
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Bill McCourt
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016
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Eighth book of the series. Have read them all. Like historical fiction and this has been a fun read.
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Top reviews from other countries

Michele Stanley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2023
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Great read
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Max Rawnsley
5.0 out of 5 stars a cracker story
Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2017
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another outstanding in the series.
The pathos that develops is another great story twist.
Have already stated Book 9, rivetting
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harryslil
4.0 out of 5 stars The whole series covers one man's life-time and the increasing good fortune of his family
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2015
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There is a lot of reading here because you cannot stop at one book. The whole series covers one man's life-time and the increasing good fortune of his family.
Historically very interesting, the social history of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is vividly portrayed. Very enjoyable.
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Steve Chappell
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly readable and highly informative.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2016
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I have read the whole series so far and have enjoyed all the books in this series and "The Man of Conflict" series.
The author seems to have the rare gift of imparting historical information through the personalities in the story in away that diminishes neither the pace and development of the story or the history of the period in which they are set.
I would thoroughly recommend this series to anyone with a liking for Historical Novels.
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George
5.0 out of 5 stars Social History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2018
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Knitted into the family doings there is a wealth of social history; happily it is interestingly and relevantly presented while the pace of the story continues unabated.
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