Wives and Daughters (version 2)

Author(s)

• Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel was serialized in Cornhill Magazine from 1864 to 1866, and completed by her editor posthumously. It looks at English life in the 1830s through the experiences of Molly Gibson, the daughter of a widowed doctor growing up in the provincial town of Hollingford. When Mr. Gibson decides to marry again, Molly is forced to contend with a pretentious stepmother, but consoled by a close friendship with Cynthia, her new stepsister. The girls' relations with the local residents, particularly the Squire of Hamley Hall and his family, make for incidents comic, romantic, and tragic, by turns. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)

1. 01 - The Dawn of a Gala Day
2. 02 - A Novice Amongst the Great Folk
3. 03 - Molly Gibson's Childhood
4. 04 - Mr. Gibson's Neighbors
5. 05 - Calf-Love
6. 06 - A Visit to the Hamleys
7. 07 - Foreshadows of Love Perils
8. 08 - Drifting Into Danger
9. 09 - The Widower and the Widow
10. 10 - A Crisis
11. 11 - Making Friendship
12. 12 - Preparing for the Wedding
13. 13 - Molly Gibson's New Friends
14. 14 - Molly Finds Herself Patronized
15. 15 - The New Mamma
16. 16 - The Bride at Home
17. 17 - Trouble at Hamley Hall
18. 18 - Mr. Osborne's Secret
19. 19 - Cynthia's Arrival
20. 20 - Mrs. Gibson's Visitors
21. 21 - The Half-Sisters
22. 22 - The Old Squire's Troubles
23. 23 - Osborne Hamley Reviews His Position
24. 24 - Mrs. Gibson's Little Dinner
25. 25 - Hollingford in a Bustle
26. 26 - A Charity Ball
27. 27 - Fathers and Sons
28. 28 - Rivalry
29. 29 - Bush-Fighting
30. 30 - Old Ways and New Ways
31. 31 - A Passive Coquette
32. 32 - Coming Events
33. 33 - Brightening Prospects
34. 34 - A Lover's Mistake
35. 35 - The Mother's Maneuver
36. 36 - Domestic Diplomacy
37. 37 - A Fluke, and What Came of It
38. 38 - Mr. Kirkpatrick, Q.C.
39. 39 - Secret Thoughts Ooze Out
40. 40 - Molly Gibson Breathes Freely
41. 41 - Gathering Clouds
42. 42 - The Storm Bursts
43. 43 - Cynthia's Confession
44. 44 - Molly Gibson to the Rescue
45. 45 - Confidences
46. 46 - Hollingford Gossips
47. 47 - Scandal and its Victims
48. 48 - An Innocent Culprit
49. 49 - Molly Gibson Finds a Champion
50. 50 - Cynthia at Bay
51. 51 - Troubles Never Come Alone
52. 52 - Squire Hamley's Sorrow
53. 53 - Unlooked-For Arrivals
54. 54 - Molly Gibson's Worth is Discovered
55. 55 - An Absent Lover Returns
56. 56 - Off With the Old Love, and On With the New
57. 57 - Bridal Visits and Adieux
58. 58 - Reviving Hopes and Brightening Prospects
59. 59 - Molly Gibson at Hamley Hall
60. 60 - Roger Hamley's Confession/Concluding Remarks