First published 2019
Polycarp Jarvis celebrates his 21st birthday with an impromptu outing alongside his boss's daughter. The day out sparks something in him. He walks away from his junior clerk position in Bristol and sets off to make his own luck. Polycarp moves from job to job with infectious optimism. He drives buses for Red Dragon Motor Company, then becomes co-owner of an aviation business. He peddles dubious remedies before building a media empire. His schemes don't always stay within legal boundaries, but his natural charm and boundless energy pull him through each scrape. The English countryside delights him as he wanders from opportunity to opportunity. Strange characters cross his path and amuse him. Success and failure alternate, but Polycarp bounces back from every setback. The question becomes what all this improvised living will make of him by the end.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, business, adventure, contemporary, comedy
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, rags-to-riches, wandering-protagonist
Setting: Bristol, English Countryside
Period: 20th Century
320 pages · Paperback · Farrago