The Rector and The Doctor’s Family

Step into the sleepy, gossipy Victorian town of Carlingford, where two novellas unravel the intricate social fabric of its inhabitants. In "The Rector," an aging Oxford scholar belatedly enters parish ministry, his intellectual prowess proving little match for the messy realities of pastoral life. Meanwhile, "The Doctor’s Family" introduces Dr. Rider, a young physician whose quiet life is upended by the reappearance of his ne'er-do-well brother, Fred, and the unexpected arrival of Fred's intriguing, waif-like family. Oliphant masterfully sketches the hopes, failures, and quiet dramas of these ordinary men against a backdrop of clerical intrigue and domestic upheaval.