A STORY OF SCOTTISH LIFE, OR SELF-SACRIFICE
This novel was first published in 1851 (in America, it was published under the title Self-Sacrifice) and the narrative involves several strands, but centres on Anne Ross, a young woman whose concerns about her marriage prospects lead her to brand herself a confirmed spinster. Part of the plot involves Anne’s investigation of the fate of her brother Norman, who may have been murdered. Another strand concerns Anne’s friend Marjory, whose tomboyish tendencies provide a vehicle for Oliphant’s authorial commentary on the idea of the ideal woman.