Margaret Thomson Davis left school at the age of 16 and had many different types of jobs before she became a writer. She has had 15 novels published and over 200 short stories appear in magazines around the world. First published in 1981 and republished in 1995 "The Dark Side of Pleasure" is the story of two families in Victorian Glasgow. The Camerons are the owners of a prosperous coaching firm. Their daughter, Felicity gets pregnant by their coachman, Luther Gunnet. The Camerons turn her out and she goes to live in the slums of Glasgow with the Gunnets.
This book dissection the wealth and the poverty of Victorian Glasgow as it tells the story of how Luther and Felicity Gunnet fight their way out of the slums. How they do it and the sorrow it is what makes this book so strong. It is not the ordinary "poor fight they way to becoming rich" book. Luther Gunnet works his way from the lowest laborer to become a railroad baron. I found the details related to the building of the railroad to and from Glasgow fascinating. Along the way the two people involved disagree on whether it is desirable to among the wealthy of Glasgow. How they resolve this is the heart of the intriguing ending.
I gave this book four thistles and am looking for another of her books to read.
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