Millbank ; or Roger Irving's Ward: a novel

by Mary Jane Holmes

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Fiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1871

About the author

Mary Jane Holmes (a.k.a. Mary J. Holmes) was a bestselling and prolific American author who wrote 39 popular novels, as well as short stories. Her first novel sold 250,000 copies; and she had total sales of 2 million books in her lifetime, second only to Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Mary Jane Holmes, nee Hawes (1825-1907) was an American author who wrote many popular novels. Holmes was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts. At age 13 she taught in a school. She married Daniel Holmes and they settled in Versailles, Kentucky. In 1854 she wrote her first novel, Tempest and Sunshine. The theme for most of her novels was domestic life. Other works include: The English Orphans; or, A Home in the New World (1855), 'Lena Rivers (1856), Homestead on the Hillside (1856), Meadow Brook (1857), Dora Deane; or, The East India Uncle (1859), Cousin Maude (1860), Rosamond Maude (1860), Darkness and Daylight (1864), Hugh Worthington (1865), Family Pride; or, Purified by Suffering (1867), Ethelyn's Mistake (1869), Edna Browning; or, The Leighton Homestead (1872), West Lawn (1874), Edith Lyle's Secret (1876), Forrest House (1879), Christmas Stories (1885), Bessie's Fortune (1885), Tracy Park (1886), Gretchen (1887), Paul Ralston (1897), The Cromptons (1899) and Bad Hugh (1900).

Portraying domestic life in small town and rural settings, she examined gender relationships, as well as those of class and race. She also dealt with slavery and the American Civil War, with a strong sense of moral justice. Her popular work was excluded from most 19th-century literary histories, but she has received recognition and reappraisal since the late 20th century.

Reviews

[Mandolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who will inherit the beautiful Millbank estate and its wealth? That is the question on everyone’s mind when Squire Irving dies, leaving behind the greedy widow of his spendthrift elder son and her son Frank as well as his younger son, who was born under a cloud of suspicion. At the outset of the book, it seems that he has loved his younger son enough to look past his uncertain birth and bestow upon him the bounty that he is leaving behind. It is clear from the beginning of the novel that Roger, the younger son, is well-deserving of this love. Generous to a fault, his character is an upright and honest one that the reader comes to admire. The plot quickly grows complex with the addition of a baby girl, Magdalen, that Roger unwittingly takes into custody when her mother abandons her. As the children grow, Roger and Frank find themselves vying for Magdalen’s heart as well as for the Millbank estate. The love triangle is complicated by the machinations of Frank’s mother which end in tragedy when a newer will is discovered, disinheriting Roger and leaving everything to Frank. This shattering discovery, though tragic when it occurs, leads to the discovery of several unsuspected ties and an ultimately happy resolution. The plot moves swiftly, propelled by full-bodied characters that elicit a strong response in the reader. In the end, good triumphs over evil and we are reminded that, come what may, if we live upright and faithful lives, we’ll find contentment and joy in anything, even poverty and loss.

I was intrigued by this book when I read that it was the only book of fiction that Laura Ingalls Wilder’s mother had in their house. Having read it, I can see why. It was a wonderfully satisfying read and, if you can find it in the library, I’d certainly recommend it!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel from 1871 was the only work of fiction in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s house when she was a child. It was mentioned in On the Banks of Plum Creek, so I was curious to read this novel that Ma read aloud over and over. It was a “fluff” book and very melodramatic (it seemed that every few pages someone was crying), but I ended up enjoying it (on a 14-hour plane ride). Though it’s a “rated G” book, I am surprised that prim and proper Ma read a book to her children that included drinking, infidelity, and unhappy marriages (all sensitively alluded to). Maybe Ma skipped/edited some parts? Recommended for Little House on the Prairie fans, but other than that it’s not really worth reading.

Full text: https://books.google.co.vi/books?id=u...

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was absolutely blown away by this novel. A delicate mix of Stowe, Alcott, and Montgomery, I found it to be delightfully unpretentious. I was glad that I tried this posthumous referral from Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the pilot episode of Cheers the bar patrons argue about which movie has the most sweat in it (Cool Hand Luke was the consensus pick, I believe). If ever there is an argument about which book has the most tears in it, I nominate this one. Never have I read about such lachrymose individuals. I know this book, written in 1870, reflects the romantic tradition of characters being carried away by their emotions, but this one took it a little far. There are 78 mentions of tears and 50-some mentions of crying, sobbing or weeping. Whenever something bad (or good, for that matter) happened, someone fell to weeping hysterically (when they weren't fainting or falling deathly ill from disappointment). And not just the female characters either, it's the men too. Long about the third time our hero burst into gasping sobs I started to look at him a little askance. Not to mention he was years older than the heroine and had been her guardian. Ick.

Aside from the drama, the book is not bad, but it's hard to overlook the faults. It relies heavily on unbelievable (seriously unbelievable) coincidences to advance the plot. The characters tend to be one-dimensional, either wholly good or wholly bad, and while the bad ones might prevail temporarily, they receive more than their comeuppance in the end. I also found the author's habit of spoiling her own ending rather odd. When you tell me how things are going to come out on page 231 of a 402 page book, I start to wonder why I need to keep reading.

Overall, not a bad book but I doubt I'll be seeking out any more Mary Jane Holmes titles.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read, but rather a sad tale with an eventual happy ending. The story revolves around who will inherit Millbank. When the squire dies, their is a question over whether the will that was presented is the only existing will. Is Frank or Roger the real heir? The story contains a sweet love story complete with a scheming Aunt who is written in such a realistic fashion that one comes to hate her during the novel. Frank is an interesting character, one whom you both pity and laugh at. All in all, another good story from Holmes.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly melodramatic, easily predictable. Overall, a decent read for a novel of it's time.

[Laura-Lee]

FREE Ebook download at Google Playstore.
I discovered this book when it was mentioned by Laura Ingalls Wilder as one of the three books they owned and Ma would read it out loud to Pa.
I'll leave a review when I've completed it.

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LL

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much melodrama, fainting and near death delirium along with completely unrealistic coincidences bringing characters back together. I guess these things were popular in Victorian times, and M.J. Holmes may have felt compelled to use them to sell books and gain popularity, as this and "Ethelyns's Mistake", written earlier in her career, are so chock full of such things, along with stock characters, that I could not take them seriously as great literature. I also read "Marian Grey", and liked it better, though skipped large sections due to the annoying melodrama and grating descriptions of African American servants. Marian Grey and Millbank's Magdalen are less selfish and have more depth than Ethelyn, but for the most part, all three heroins are interchangable. Started in wealth, finished in wealth, gorgeous, upper crust in manners and accomplishments, ending up well taken care of by a man wildly in love with them with just a brief interruption where they had to take care of themselves.

To Holmes' credit, I am now reading a book written later in her career (Dr. Haethorn's Daughter) and it is head and shoulders above the three I have read so far. In it, though the treatment of African American characters again hugely reduces the enjoyment of reading it (its downright sickening), I am finally seeing why some compare Holmes to Jane Austin. Skip Millbank and go to her later works, unless you want amusement from the time when melodrama reigned supreme.

As others have noted, this was the only piece of fiction in the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder's parents when she was growing up. It still baffles me as to why. Ma and Pa Ingalls were such polar opposites in their emotional responses to the characters in this book, that I can't imagine them enjoying it so, but apparently they did. Wish I could ask them why.

[Katherine Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning with an orphaned girl that the author loves to the end, besides the men in the family who took her in despite her mysterious appearance. Her origin is forgotten while the heirs of the house she has lived in are embattled because of an ambitious mother. What is interesting about this book is the eventual fate of the girl, loved by both the heirs. Coincidence in the author's work is acceptable in reading because of the attention to detail and the wonderful characterizations of Americans in her time. The heroine's parents are revealed however she is finding this out as she attends to her own mentally ill mother. The treatment of this woman's mental illness as she kept in the mansion of her husband is very interesting from our time. She is not like Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester's problem; she is a sick woman that people are trying to bring back to reality. This was interesting although because this heroine, like some of the author's work, is ideal to her final fate, the book probably satisfied the readers of her time and makes sense now.

[Holding Name · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is best left in the imagination as the book mentioned in the Little House books. It starts off well, but gets progressively more preachy.