British author Anthony Hope was a popular and prolific writer of action-adventure novels with strong romantic elements, but his talent as a creator of sharply drawn, unforgettable characters ranks his work head and shoulders above the cookie-cutter potboilers that crowd the genre. Quisante is a perfect example of this. In it, an ambitious young man born of a low station seeks to improve his lot in life by winning the hand of a moneyed socialite.