Cover of Wives and Daughters

Wives and Daughters

by Elizabeth Gaskell

First published
1864
Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"Wives and Daughters" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is a novel first published serially from 1864 to 1866. Young Molly Gibson's quiet life in a provincial English town transforms when her widowed father remarries, bringing a worldly stepmother and stepsister into their home. As Molly navigates new family dynamics and her friendship with the troubled Hamley family, she discovers hidden marriages, secret debts, and broken promises that threaten the happiness of those she holds dear.

  • England
  • Young women
  • Love stories
  • Domestic fiction
  • Fathers and daughters
  • Bildungsromans

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #4274. Wives and Daughters on Wikipedia.

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