Writing towards the close of the Victorian century, Charlotte M Yonge was driven, like so many of her contemporaries, to “educate, elevate, and inspire” young people and, unfortunately, her inferiors in station: servants. This novel, while keeping to those aims, is set in a semi-barbaric German sett

Probably a rollicking good tale when first published almost 200 years ago, it is now a slow read that reminds one of Ivanhoe at times. Set is southwestern German-speaking lands in the 15th century, it is the tale of a noble family with the usual blood feuds, class tensions, surprise survivals, and b

Good, but too pro Martin Luther

I really enjoyed this book, except for at the end there was some stuff at the end saying Martin Luther had "true Catholicism" which was very irritating. Besides that I liked it.

Why do more people not talk about this little gem of a book?! Wonderful morals. Precious story. So many hardships. I cried several times but such a redemptive end. Do yourself a favor and read this book immediately! There is some old time language and spelling in places but you can piece through tho

Not my favorite Yonge book, but it was touching nevertheless. Her stories are generally a bit melodramatic. The reason I love some of her books is because she bases her stories on a redemption tale. In this case, it is how a young woman of a religious merchant family helps to redeem a baronial famil

Classic story of life in chivalrous times

Compelling story of a young, orphaned girl who is sent to care for a dying daughter of a rogue father and mother in a gothic like castle on a remote, nearly inaccessible mountain. There her life unfolds in a beautiful and yet at times painfully trying ways. S