Hester

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."

Hester by Margaret Oliphant surprised and delighted me. The main two characters, one an older and one a younger woman, are unlike most 19c women in the choices they make consistently, and the novel grapples realistically with financial chicanery that reminded me that the Bernie Madoffs of the world had many predecessors who also wreaked ruin on unwitting people. Though occasionally repetitive, a consequence of when it was written and how it was published, its narrative held me for days. I strongly recommend it and will now try to read more Oliphant novels. She wrote for a living and has 26 novels to her name so finding another one shouldn't be hard to do--though will any live up to Hester?

Beautifully written and structured with a host of noteworthy minor characters, the novel Hester provides an opportunity to lose yourself in another time and place. The strong women characters, Hester and Catherine Vernon are deftly done. A long but fast read

This is the story of Catherine and Hester Vernon, and the relationship between the two women and the one man whom both of them loved; Catherine as a son and Hester as a woman. Catherine once saved the family bank from ruin at the hands of Hester's reckless father when he fled the country in disgrace, and Hester and her mother return years later as paupers living at the charity of cousin Catherine, as do several other assorted Vernon relatives. Hester makes a poor impression on Catherine on her first day there and for years the two women barely tolerate each other. Catherine rules the "Vernonry" as it's called where those relatives live in relative comfort and she amuses herself watching their minor quirks and foibles as they gossip and interact with each other. As Hester matures, she catches the eye of two of her cousins, Harry and Edward Vernon, Edward being the apple of Catherine's eye and loved as she would her own son. Edward chafes under Catherine's thumb and plots to free himself forever, but he must find a way to obtain funds to do so, which could lead to the downfall of all the Vernons and the bank. Sound boring? Actually it's not; it's a fascinating tale of two women and their intertwining relationships between themselves and others. I loved the secondary characters, especially the two Misses Vernons, such delightfully catty old maids! Oliphant does a fine job of setting her scenes and giving you a wonderful in depth look at a slice of Victorian England. Just be warned, this is not an action packed, sit on the edge of your seat, can't put it down until its finished type of novel. This is a story to savor and enjoy the multi-faceted characters like a fine red wine or a box of chocolates (or both!!). If you are looking for high action and adventure, this is not the book for you. Oliphant is superb and although she doesn't quite come up the ten star standards of George Eliot, this is one author well worth taking the time to check out. If you are a first time reader to this author your best bet is to try her delightful Miss Marjoribanks (Penguin Classics) first, a very funny and lighthearted romp and a refreshing change from the strum and drang of most 19C British literature. Five stars.