Crusader's Tomb; by A. J. Cronin.

Beauty in its true high realm of spirit is what Hilton always writes about, with a soul coming across an experience and holding on to it in face of all impossibility in this world, what with the need to compromise in order to get along with society. Hilton's people are those that stay true to the spirit and the high realms of Beauty, no matter what life and society hits them with.

The artist, painter, Stephen Desmonde of England in this book - published also under the name A Thing Of Beauty, later - tells the story of how a visionary of art faces society condemning his work, his vision, the beauty of his work, all due to his being ahead of times while mediocrity would be safer for him to stick to and acquire fame and wealth. As it is he faces destruction of his work and court cases and poverty, with few supports for his spirit and his life apart from his work. The one constant support is his wife, of less noble a birth and bringing up than him but someone who not only loves him, someone who also comprehends the greatness and beauty of his work. Her dignity in the face of his fame after his death is one of the most moving memories that stay in mind after reading this.