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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Story and Very Well Written, May 19, 2005
I purchased this book because of other books that I have read and this one was recommended (thru amazon) as a result of the ones I have read and enjoyed. I normally look through the reviews on amazon to get a feel for the book. However, with this book there were no reviews. I went out on a limb and purchased it anyway. This is not an exciting book like the 3 Musketeers or Pillars of the Earth. However, if you like classics such as Madame Bovary or any book by Jane Austen, I believe you will like this book. This is a story of three people. There are other characters, of course, but the story mainly follows three people - Catherine Vernon, Edward Vernon and Hester Vernon. Catherine is the aging owner of the Vernon Bank. It is clear throughout this book that women are not known for knowing business but Catherine is an exception. In the beginning of the book, John Vernon is running the family bank. Catherine wants to become, and is really supposed to become, the wife of John. However, John marries another women and spends a very large sum on her. In fact, his spending allows rumors to spead and there is a "run on the bank". At the time there is run on the bank, John is gone. His wife, Mrs. John, follows him abroad and only returns to Redborough after John dies, with her daugher Hester, on the invitation of Catherine. They return some 30 years later. By this time, Catherine has been running the bank and has become very rich. She has surrounded herself with her relations and has retired. Her cousin, Edward, is now running the bank with his cousin, Henry. Henry does not care for business and leaves all the work to Edward. Edward lives with Catherine and she treats him like the son she never had. Catherine ownes the Vernonry where her relations live. When Hester comes to live at the Vernonry, she is but 14 years old and has her first conflict with Catherine on the night she arrives with her mother. From that point, Hester and Catherine are at odds. However, Hester is free spirited and strong. Edward comes to want that kind of life. He wants to get out from under Catherine's shadow and be free to live his life. As a result, he puts the people's money in the stock exchange and places the bank in ruins. Catherine comes to the rescure for the second time and saves the bank. Catherine believes that she can see through all of her relations but because of her love for Edward she is blind to the fact that he has changed. This ultimately leads her to the grave. She also hated Hester and because of that she did not see the strength in her that reveals itself in the end. The end of the book is very good. It is a good story and if you enjoy the classics then this one is a good, quick read. I am glad that I did not let the fact that there were no reviews on this book stop me from buying it and reading it. This is certainly not one of the best classics that I have read but it is good. Ms. Oliphant has a way of writing that is beautiful. The book is beautifully written with good characters and with good character development. Enjoy!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Wonderful tale from a lesser known 19C author, January 13, 2008
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best, July 18, 2009
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."
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