
Nestled in a leafy suburb of London, an aging brick house bears the quiet dignity of a bygone era. Its walls are layered with heirlooms—old japanned screens, mahogany cabinets, and delicate china—each discovery a reminder of generations past. The garden, framed by elms and lime trees, offers a serene backdrop that feels worlds away from the bustling city just beyond its windows.
Within these historic rooms lives Mrs. Eastwood, a widowed mother of four sons and a spirited daughter named Ellinor. While her brothers pursue education and respectable careers, Ellinor navigates the expectations placed on a young woman in a household that subtly undervalues her intellect. As the family contends with the pressures of modern ambitions and the weight of tradition, the story gently unfolds the delicate balance between duty, desire, and the longing for personal identity.
Language
en
Duration
~19 hours (1104K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, & Searle, 1874.
Credits
Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2023-09-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1828–1897
A hugely popular Victorian novelist and critic, she wrote with remarkable range and speed, turning out fiction, essays, biographies, and supernatural tales across a long career. Her work often brings everyday family life into vivid focus while also making room for mystery, history, and sharp social observation.
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