Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul is a novel by H. G. Wells, first published in 1905. (Was adapted into the musical Half A Sixpence!) Kipps is an orphan and raised by his aged aunt and uncle. A shy, kind-hearted draper’s assistant whose life is upended when he unexpectedly inherits a fortune. Thrust into Edwardian high society, Kipps struggles to fit in, exposing the rigid class divisions and social pretensions of the time. Ultimately, the novel suggests that happiness lies not in wealth or status, but in authenticity, love, and a return to one’s true self.