The Fortunes of Oliver Horn

Book excerpt: 'The Fortunes of Oliver Horn' is a coming-of-age novel written by Francis Hopkinson Smith. The story follows a Southern young man named Oliver who came from a wealthy family. He was sent to New York and is expected to give up his dream of becoming a painter and start working, but instead he befriends a group of bohemian artists called the Skylarkers' Club. They get into all sorts of mischief, like inviting a German brass band to play in their loft apartment. Oliver's mother wants him to give up on his dreams and work, but he goes to art college at night anyway. There he meets Margaret Grant, a determined New Englander. Their relationship is strained by their different cultural backgrounds and, later, by the American Civil War.