‘Patty’s Fortune’ is the fourteenth book in the popular ‘Patty Fairfield’ series by prolific author Carolyn Wells. Bill Farnsworth has been given a hotel as repayment for a debt, and so Bill, Patty and all their friends decide to have a holiday at the hotel. One person is missing however – Phillip Van Reypen, Bill’s competition for Patty’s affections. When Phillip’s dying aunt summons Patty to her sickbed she demands that Patty promises to marry Phillip. Caught in a love-triangle, Patty has a big decision to make.
Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was a prolific American novelist and poet, best known for her children’s literature, mystery novels and humorous verse. Following school in New Jersey, Wells worked as a librarian where she developed her love of reading. It was during 1896, while working at the library that Wells' first book ‘At the Sign of the Sphinx’ was published. From 1900 she dedicated herself to her literary career, writing over 170 novels in total across a range of genres. Some of her most loved works include the ‘Patty Fairfield’ and ‘Marjorie Maynard’ series for girls, as well as the ‘Fleming Stone’ mystery series for adults. Wells is also well-known for her humorous nonsense verse, and was a frequent contributor of verse to magazines. She published an autobiography ‘The Rest of my Life’ in 1937. Wells died in New York City in 1942.