A Mere Chance: A Novel. Vol. 1

In 1880s Melbourne, a young woman named Rachel Fetherstonhaugh is pulled from poverty by her wealthy aunt and thrust into the glittering world of colonial society. She learns to navigate ballroom floors and batting eyelashes, capturing the attention of eligible suitors including the charming Mr. Kingston. But beneath the silk gowns and society parties, Rachel carries the weight of where she came from, and the fear that her past will catch up with her new life. Ada Cambridge, one of Australia's earliest novelists, writes with sharp observation about the performance of femininity, the rigid boundaries of class, and the question of whether rising in the world means leaving yourself behind. This is Victorian social fiction with an Australian edge: same concerns as Austen or Brontë, but under different skies.