[2] The work was praised by critics for its perception and for an adept and scrupulous attention to detail, seen in its vivid descriptions of people, places, and the natural world.

[4] On the train they first encounter Prince Yakimov, a once-wealthy English-educated White Russian émigré who is now nearly penniless and forced to live by scrounging.

Harriet meets Professor Inchcape and two other members of the University English department, Clarence Lawson and diplomat Foxy Leverat.

They are entertained by the Druckers, a family of Jewish bankers who enjoy extreme wealth, and whose eldest son Sacha is a student of Guy.

The performance is considered a triumph, but many Romanians wonder at the British ability to stage a cultural event like this during a time in which their country appears to be going to defeat in war.

The play can be seen as an allegory for political events, with the beleaguered city of Troy as Britain and the invading Athenians led by the militaristic Achilles as the fascists.

The book's title, The Great Fortune, is taken from its final pages and refers to the potential unrealised economic wealth of Greater Romania.