A rich, outrageous, Dickensian novel in the comic tradition of The Crimson Petal and the White about a boy raised as a girl in the richest home in 19th century England.

Lord Geoffroy Loveall arrives home one fateful morning with a most unusual package--he’s found an abandoned baby, whom he adopts and names Rose in honor of his long-dead sister. Rose’s childhood inside the sprawling maze of towers, lawns, and halls that make up Love Hall is an endless round of privilege and delight.

There is only one problem: Rose’s father wanted a daughter, but he brought home a son. When Rose reaches adolescence, Lord Loveall’s delusion becomes apparent to all, and her parents can no longer disguise the secret around which they’ve created Rose’s entire world: this delicate flower is, in fact, a boy. Outraged relatives descend to fight for their inheritance, the idyll collapses, and Rose must journey halfway around the world to find his true self and reclaim his rightful place.

A joy-filled and mischievous reinvention of the English adventure novel, Misfortune brims with unexpected plot twists, outrageous characters, and fanciful details of a world long past. The voice of Rose comes alive with irresistible, ravishing vitality--all the more remarkable for being the work of a first-time writer. Misfortune is an astonishingly original and absolutely unforgettable debut.