Margaret Oliphant

A few weeks ago I read "Hester" by Margaret Oliphant. It was the first book I had read by her and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I thought it would be interesting to have a comprehensive list of her works, so listed below are what I believe to be all of her novels.

Novels by Margaret Oliphant

1849-Margaret Maitland
1850-Merkland
1851-Caleb Field
1851-John Drayton
1852-Adam Graeme of Mossgray
1852-The Melvilles
1852-Katie Stewart
1853-Harry Muir
1853-Ailieford
1854-Magdalen Hepburn
1854-The Quiet Heart
1855-Zaidee
1855-Christian Melville
1856-Lilliesleaf
1857-The Athelings
1857-The Days of My Life
1858-The Laird of Norlaw
1858-Orphans: a Chapter in Life
1858-Sundays
1858-Agnes Hopetown's Schools and Holidays
1860-Lucy Crofton
1860-The House on the Moor
1861
The Last of the Mortimers
1863-Heart and Cross
1863-The Rector and the Doctor's Family
1863-Salem Chapel
1864-The Perpetual Curate
1865-Agnes
1866-Miss Marjoribanks
1866-A Son of the Soil
1866-Madonna Mary
1868-Brownlows
1869-The Minister's Wife
1870-John: a Love Story
1870-The Three Brothers
1871-Squire Arden
1872-At His Gates
1872-Ombra
1873-Innocent: a Tale of Modern Life
1873-May
1874-For Love and Life
1874-A Rose in June
1875-The Story of Valentine and his Brother
1875-Whiteladies
1876-The Curate in Charge
1876-An Odd Couple
1876-Phoebe Junior
1877-Carita
1877-Mrs Arthur
1877-Young Musgrave
1878-The Primrose Path
1879-The Greatest Heiress in England
1879-Within the Precincts
1880-He that Will Not When He May
1880-A Beleaguered City
1881-Harry Joscelyn
1882-In Trust
1882-A Little Pilgrim in the Unseen
1883-Hester: A story of Contemporary Life
1883-It Was a Lover and His Lass
1883-The Ladies Lindores
1884-Sir Tom
1884-The Wizard's Son
1884-Madam
1886-A Country Gentleman and His Family
1886-Effie Ogilvie
1886-A House Divided Against Itself
1886-Oliver's Bride
1887-The Son of His Father
1888-Cousin Mary
1889-Lady Car
1888-Joyce
1888-The Second Son
1888-The Land of Darkness
1889-Neighbours on the Green
1889-A Poor Gentleman
1890-The Duke's Daughter and The Fugitives
1890-Kirsteen
1890-The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow
1890-Sons and Daughters
1891-Janet
1891-The Railway Man and His Children
1892-The Cuckoo in the Nest
1892-Diana Trelawny
1892-The Heir Presumptive and the Heir Apparent
1892-The Marriage of Elinor
1893-Lady William
1893-The Sorceress
1894-A House in Bloomsbury
1894-The Prodigals and Their Inheritance
1894-Who Was Lost and Is Found
1895-Sir Robert's Fortune
1895-Two Strangers
1896-Old Mr Tredgold
1896-The Two Marys and Grove Road
1896-The Unjust Steward
1897-The Lady's Walk
1898-That Little Cutty
1898-A Widow's Tale

Are you acquainted with Ms. Oliphant's work? Which would you recommend?

Hester - A Review

"Hester"
By Margaret Oliphant
(Oxford World Classics)

Catherine Vernon was 65 years old and a wealthy spinster. This did not mean that Catherine had never been in love. On the contrary, she had been engaged in her young adulthood, to her cousin, John Vernon. Sadly, John, who was the head of the family bank, had fallen in love with another woman, and to everyone's surprise, had jilted Catherine. The betrayal had broken her trusting heart.

To make matters worse, John had suddenly run away after embezzling money from the bank, almost ruining the great institution. Catherine stepped in at the last moment-- putting every penny of her own fortune on the line. She became the beloved heroine of the community -- a person of great integrity.

As fate would have it, life comes full circle when John's daughter and widow come back into Catherine's life.

This is not only the story of Catherine, but also the story of young Hester (John's daughter), and the three men who are in love with her. It's the story of the lust for money, power, and control; the story of resentment and rebellion; of flirtation and love. It is a story of a fascinating relationship between two rival women--one in the blossom of youth and the other in the winter of her life.

Ms. Oliphant wrote over 100 novels in her lifetime -- "Hester" being one of the most popular. It is beautifully written with strong character development; a Victorian masterpiece. If you like reading Jane Austen or Wilkie Collins, you are sure to enjoy Margaret Oliphant's "Hester."