Soames clearly isn't a candidate for Mr. Congeniality. But I don't get the impression that his father doesn't like him. Can you site a passage to illustrate this view? Since I have read these books before and seen both dramatizations, I know what comes in the future. My views are colored with more facts and artistic interpretations and it is difficult for me to bury that information to see through the eyes of a first time reader. But I'm really glad that you like this story. The first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. That is how I judge a book.

But I digress. I think Soames is a stand-up guy, but he's a cold fish. He feels deeply, towards his wife for example, but he hasn't a clue how to show it. An example of his "cold fishness" in Chapter 8, when talking with Bosinney about plans for the house, "Soames was alarmed. He had really been struck by the plans, and the concealment of his satisfaction had been merely instinctive. It was difficult for him to pay a compliment. He despited people who were lavish with their praises."