"Isän toivo eli Rikkaus ja rakkaus" by Juho Leppä is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a rural Finnish parish, it follows the wealthy Mäkelä family—especially their only son Kaarlo—whose upbringing in pride and contempt collides with the integrity of the cobbler Mikko’s family (his son Vilho) and the respected Ojala farm (their daughter Aino). The book explores the tension between wealth and love, and how misguided parenting and class arrogance deform character.The opening of the novel introduces Mäkelä, where the domineering moneylender Matti rules his household and scorns the poor, while his wiser wife longs to nurture a good child. Nearby, the industrious cobbler Mikko, his wife Anni, and their son Vilho settle in; Kaarlo is born to the Mäkeläs, and he and Vilho become close playmates until Kaarlo’s father severs the friendship for class reasons, planting in Kaarlo a deep contempt for the poor. Kaarlo’s cruelty escalates—vandalism, bullying, defiance at school—leading to his expulsion, while his mother’s pleas go unheard. As the boys grow, Ojala’s daughter Aino becomes a point of rivalry: Kaarlo covets her and the Ojala wealth, but she favors Vilho, intensifying Kaarlo’s hatred. After a public quarrel, a near-tragedy on river ice sees Vilho save Matti and Kaarlo, prompting a brief reconciliation with the cobbler’s family. Soon Matti falls fatally ill; at the same time Kaarlo joins the thief Kaapari-Taavetti in a night raid, is confronted by the constable, a…
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
