Kirsteen by Margaret Oliphant
Kirsteen is a heroine who displays courage and ingenuity in the face of adversity. Rather than submit to an uncongenial marriage, she runs away to London and establishes herself in a successful and lucrative career, not something commonly achieved by "ladies" at this time. The author succeeds in winning our empathy for her, she is an attractive heroine, but is not all sugar. She has the prejudices of her time and class and a sense of family pride which borders on snobbery.
The prose is more detailed than we are used to today; the juxtaposition of the characters is more overtly dramatic - the stern unyielding, cruel father and the feeble invalid mother, the proud, independent heroine and her wily, overly agreeable sister, whose machinations in gaining the husband rejected by Kirsteen is strongly reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett's friend Charlotte Lucas, who is prepared to marry the odious Mr Collins rather than remain an old maid with no status in society.
Kirsteen's home in Argyll is well described with the ever-present sound of the Linn contrasting strongly with the bustle and confusion of London. Margaret Oliphant was well placed to describe both scenes; she knew Argyll well and was also familiar with many of the major European cities.
I found this a compelling read, very much of its time but with human values and problems still relevant today.
