Room at the Top (novel) death and his successful scheme to marry upwards. He is reassured that nobody blames him for Alice's death – but he knows this is wrong, and the book closes with him aware of his conscience, forced to live with his guilt and his responsibility for what has happened. Room at the Top (novel) Room at the Top is a novel by John Braine, first published in the United Kingdom by Eyre & Spottiswoode in 1957, about the rise of an ambitious young man of humble origin, and the socio-economic struggles undergone in realising his social ambitions in post-war Britain. A
Stephen McKenna (novelist) Stephen McKenna (novelist) Stephen McKenna (27 February 1888 – 26 September 1967) was an English novelist who wrote forty-seven novels, mostly focusing on English upper-class society, and six non-fiction titles. He published his first novel, "The Reluctant Lover", in 1912. His best-known novel, "Sonia: Between Two Worlds", was published in 1917. It was the tenth best-selling novel for 1918 in the United States, and also made into a British film of the same name in 1921. McKenna was the son of Leopold and Ellen McKenna. He was educated at Westminster School (Scholar), London, and at Christ Church, Oxford (Exhibitioner). He