Ford Madox Ford

What does it mean to be "just good people?" That is how the two couples—one British and one American—in this story are described. But what happens when you look deeper, peeling back the layers of politeness and civility?

Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End tetralogy, written in the aftermath of World War I, was originally published in four parts in the 1920s: Some Do Not…; No More Parades; A Man Could Stand Up —; and Last Post.

The Dowells, a wealthy American couple, have been close friends with the Ashburnhams for years. Edward Ashburnham, a first-rate soldier, seems to be the perfect English gentleman and Leonora his perfect wife, but beneath the surface their marriage seethes with unhappiness and deception....

Two couples, two marriages; both seemingly perfect, both falling apart....

Igennem ni år har det amerikanske ægtepar John og Florence tilbragt deres somre på et mondænt kursted i den tyske by Nauheim....

The tragic story of two couples, one American and one English, traveling together through Europe for an extended amount of time told by a seemingly unreliable narrator John Dowell....

The Good Soldier is a story about the complex social and sexual relationships between two couples - one English, one American - and the growing awareness of the intrigues and passions behind their orderly Edwardian façade....

Handsome, wealthy, and a veteran of service in India, Captain Edward Ashburnham appears to be the ideal "good soldier" and the embodiment of English upper-class virtues....