High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Great Lover is a 2009 biographical novel by Jill Dawson. The novel follows the fictional Nell Golightly as she encounters the eccentric poet Rupert Brooke in Grantchester, Cambridgeshire. Set from 1909 until 1914, in the novel Dawson examines Brooke`s relationship with Nell, and his growth as a poet and individual. The novel is based on the biography of Brooke during that period, incorporating opinions, ideas, and excerpts from Brooke`s letters and other primary sources documenting his life.