A review by jacob_longini
Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant

3.0

Margaret Oliphant's Miss Marjoribanks (pronounced March-banks, this took me a while to figure out) is a great resource for the reader interested in issues of gender, class, religion, and politics in 19th Century England, and a great entertainment for the reader who enjoys an Austen-esque drama about society, scandal, and love (if this isn't up your alley, then don't read this book). By portraying English society through the lens of a clever young woman with great domestic ambitions, Oliphant forces the reader to figure out if the work praises the strengths of middle-class women or satirizes their weaknesses. Are the class distinctions meant to point out the injustice of Oliphant's time, or is the contempt displayed for lower classes the actual view of the author? There are many interpretations of the plot, and the editor's introduction (included in the Penguin Classics edition) explores the ongoing debates surrounding these topics. Originally published to fit the serialized and three-volume novel formats, there are areas that feel superfluous and droning, but there are also other areas that are delightfully compelling. All-in-all, I think it is a so-so read for your average audience, but a gem for scholarly readers or those who are fans of similar works from the 19th Century canon.