It is difficult to sum up a 650 page book that contains so many characters and storylines. Our heroine is Molly Gibson, the sweet-tempered, naive, only child of a widowed doctor. Not only do we become acquainted with the main characters throughout the story, but we are also introduced to the whole village of Hollingford, England, full of lords and ladies and common folk. And all of the politics that come with that combination. Early in the story, Molly is befriended by an invalid woman who has two grown boys and a husband who takes himself and his pride in his land much too seriously, or so we think. The story is full of honour and duty and obeying the rules and traditions of the day, yet seeing things from new perspectives.
I highly recommend this book, especially to young ladies, but also to "guys," as it is quite insightful into the womanly way of thinking. :-)
Originally published, 1866
This edition published by Penguin Books, London, 1996
