Salem Chapel

The Chronicles of Carlingford #3

by Mrs. Oliphant

Salem Chapel tells the story of Arthur Vincent, recent graduate of Homerton College, Cambridge, who has been called to pastor Salem Chapel upon the retirement of its previous minister, Mr Tufton. Salem belongs to the Dissenters of Carlingford, to whom Oliphant attributes varying degrees of kindness, hospitality, generosity, commercial acumen, stubbornness, and complacency.

Chapel life is naturally rooted in Carlingford's mercantile center, and the cheerful bustle of tea-meetings, singing classes, charitable and missionary activities echoes the hum of commerce. At the center of this "brisk succession of 'Chapel business'", stands the minister. He is, Oliphant declares, "everything in his little world. That respectable connection would not have hung together half so closely but for this perpetual subject of discussion, criticism, and patronage".

Genres: Classics, Victorian, Fiction, 19th Century, British Literature, Literature, Adult

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1862

About the author

Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (née Margaret Oliphant Wilson) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works encompass "domestic realism, the historical novel and tales of the supernatural".

Margaret Oliphant was born at Wallyford, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, and spent her childhood at Lasswade (near Dalkeith), Glasgow and Liverpool. As a girl, she constantly experimented with writing. In 1849 she had her first novel published: Passages in the Life of Mrs. Margaret Maitland which dealt with the Scottish Free Church movement. It was followed by Caleb Field in 1851, the year in which she met the publisher William Blackwood in Edinburgh and was invited to contribute to the famous Blackwood's Magazine. The connection was to last for her whole lifetime, during which she contributed well over 100 articles, including, a critique of the character of Arthur Dimmesdale in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.

Reviews

[JimZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was biased against this novel because I had read three of the other books from this series and had read many a review of those books, and this novel was alluded to in some of those reviews, and several reviewers said this was the weakest of the lot...After finishing it, I agree with that assessment. This was the second complete book of the Carlingford series, the first one consisting of a novella, 'The Rector', and a novel, 'The Doctor’s Family'. Those were OK (3 stars each), and I liked the third and fourth in the series, ‘The Perpetual Curate’ (3 stars) and ‘Miss Marjoribanks’ (4 stars).

The plot of 'Salem Chapel' which took a long time to unfold was convoluted and hard to understand. Even after the big reveal at the end it was hard to understand. The relationship between characters was confusing: Susan Vincent was engaged to a wicked married or a divorced man who was brother to a woman that the Dissenting minister of Salem Chapel, Arthur Vincent, was smitten with and father of a young girl who ended up in Susan’s care because the wicked married or divorced man’s first wife wanted to hide her from him. Got that? No? Why not? Was I not clear? 🤨 🤪

Oh yeah, and Arthur Vincent was thoroughly unlikable. What a mama’s boy!

I just found out that all of her 100+ books are available free on the internet. Egads! http://www.oliphantfiction.com/x0100_...

Reviews:
• http://preferreading.blogspot.com/201...
• https://victorianweb.org/authors/olip...

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this all in a whirl because I really wanted to be done with it. It’s certainly well written but I just didn’t enjoy it that much. This may be silly of me, especially because I’ve been a dissenting Presbyterian all my life (i.e. not Anglican), but I prefer to read about the Church of England in Victorian novels. 😂 There are exceptions to this, of course, but I find it hard to separate my love of Brit Lit from my love of Anglican worship and practice, shaped by writers like Barbara Pym, Elizabeth Goudge, Dorothy Sayers, Jane Austen, etc.

The central character in this story is Arthur Vincent, who is a Dissenting minister called to his first pastorate in Carlingford at Salem Chapel. He gets off on the wrong foot early in several ways due to his immaturity and arrogance. When a rather sensational plot takes over with Arthur’s sister Susan, the plot becomes an endless to-ing and fro-ing that felt chaotic and unpleasant. Through all these ups and downs, I didn’t find that Arthur’s character was redeemed much over the course of the book. He suffers but his suffering doesn’t produce self knowledge that leads to repentance and growth. He remains callous, lacking in humility, and willing to set aside his duty in pursuit of a desire that is clearly going nowhere from the very start of the story. This is really the crux of my complaint about the book. I was longing for Charlotte Mary Yonge to take over Arthur’s character. She would have done a much better job with him, Dissenter though he is. Or George Eliot! After all, Adam Bede is a book I love that is about Dissenters.

I did enjoy Mrs Vincent, Mrs Hilyard, and Mr Tozer as characters. They are each exceptionally well drawn and vivid characters. I’m eager to get to the next book in the series too since we’ll be back in my C of E territory.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded down.

I am so on the fence about this novel! There were parts of it I liked and parts that made me want to pull my hair. I never felt any affinity for any of the characters or cared what happened to them--and that never bodes well. I believe Mrs. Oliphant could have achieved everything she managed in half the verbiage. There were frequent spots where it went on and on and on, to no avail.

Mr. Arthur Vincent is a young, inexperienced pastor, who takes on the congregation of Salem Chapel, a dissenter’s church in Carlingford. He immediately embroils himself in the personal problems of a mysterious woman, Mrs. Hilyard, who attends the church but is not a recognized member, and a lady who is well outside his position, Lady Alice Western. One look at Lady Western, and Mr. Vincent is ready to risk his life and livelihood in pursuit of her slightest smile; and while no amount of attention is enough to shower on this woman, he shows very little filial concern for his mother or his sister, both of whom become involved as he does in a bit of intrigue that could be their ruin. The mother and sister are independently dragged into the same plot as Arthur by a thread that is so thin as to be ludicrous. It requires a coincidence that is a bit too much to swallow.

One third of the way in, the plot began to unfold and the mystery surrounding Mrs. Hilyard sparked my curiosity. At the same time, the detrimental situation of Mr. Vincent’s sister also developed and I felt the novel begin to take shape and pull me in. Sadly, Mrs. Oliphant chose to get as much mileage from her plot as possible--which meant the search went on forever, the mother droned endlessly, and Vincent suffered more sermons from his deacons than he delivered from his pulpit. By the time I had reached the final third of the book, I simply wanted it to be over.

Perhaps the greatest reason for reading a novel such as this one is the comparison it invites with those truly remarkable writers of the period. I could not help thinking how George Eliot might have handled this same story, how she would have infused these characters with meaning and made their experiences matter to the reader. Alas, I felt no such attachment under Mrs. Oliphant’s hand. So, I said I was on the fence, but I think, while writing this review, I dropped to one side of it.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 JUN 2016 - a read with the Literature of the 19th Century Group at Yahoo. All are welcome.

19th Century Lit. Group - https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/1...

You may read Salem Chapel at Project Gutenberg. Please remember to download both volumes.

Vol. 1 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42013
Vol. 2 - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42044

At turns, a sensationalist novel combined with drama. Having not anything written by Mrs. Oliphant previously, I enjoyed Salem Chapel enough to see out other works.

[Melindam · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Partly an interesting, but also an excruciating read. Unfortunately the character study gets drowned in Victorian melodrama.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salem Chapel è il terzo romanzo della ciclo delle Chronicles of Carlingford.
Dopo aver letto il primo e il secondo racconto della serie, supponevo che con il terzo si raggiungesse uno stadio più vicino alla narrativa romanzesca rispetto a quella più abbozzata che caratterizzava invece i due precedenti. Infatti, in Salem Chapel la trama si fa più avvincente e dinamica e direi appunto più romanzesca anche nella struttura e nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Spuntano inoltre alcuni elementi di suspense che gli consentono di allinearsi al genere mystery / sensazionalista di alcuni autori vittoriani che tuttavia hanno potuto godere di una maggiore e più lunga popolarità.

Con questo episodio della serie, che a mio parere potrebbe costituire un romanzo a sé stante vista la solida struttura narrativa, la Oliphant si rivela una grande scrittrice consapevole delle dinamiche sociali che interessavano l'Inghilterra del suo tempo. Allo stesso modo dimostra una grande capacità nel ritrarre con attenzione l'aspetto psicologico e in particolare le reazioni umane di fronte agli eventi quotidiani. Oltre a ciò, una vena ironica e un pizzico di arguzia sono due elementi caratterizzanti la sua scrittura.

In conclusione, credo proprio valga la pena di continuare con i successivi romanzi della serie.

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Probably really 3.5 stars, to average between the half of the book that I really liked and the half that was just ok]

"Salem Chapel" appears, at the beginning, to be not unlike the previous volume of the "Chronicles of Carlingford" that I read, "Miss Marjoribanks": a humorous and acutely observed satire on life in a provincial town. While "Miss Marjoribanks" mainly targeted the upper classes, "Salem Chapel" sets its sights elsewhere, in the town's Noncomformist (that is, Protestant but not Church of England: exactly what variety of Protestant is not made clear, as the only difference with the Anglicans that is mentioned is that the Noncomformists are proud not to be part of a start-run church) community -- the titular chapel is their church -- and its new minister, Arthur Vincent. Vincent comes to Carlingford full of lofty ideas of achieving a place in the best society by sweeping all before him with his eloquence, but it quickly becomes clear that the only society he can reasonably expect is that of the decidedly middle-class tradespeople who make up the Salem Chapel congregation. To top off his misfortunes, he falls in love with Lady Western, who is kind to him but way out of his class, in both senses. Oliphant brilliantly pokes fun at Vincent's snobbish tendencies and inflated expectations of his career as a Dissenting minister, as well as the often small-minded and self-satisfied attitudes of his congregation. Mrs. Hilyard serves almost as an authorial stand-in for this part of the book, providing humorously -- or, to Vincent, disconcertingly -- penetrating analysis.

But Mrs. Hilyard has, in addition to a sharp mind, a mysterious past, one that slowly turns the novel into high Victorian melodrama, albeit with the satire still running in as a subplot in the background. Vincent attempts to help Mrs. Hilyard out, in large part thanks to her connection to Lady Western, leading to the kidnapping of his younger sister, who is then suspected of murder. I could go on, but I won't, not in order to avoid spoilers but because there is, it turns out, nothing to spoil: in the end, the entire melodrama plot turns out to have no real effect. The presumed victim of the murder, the villain of the piece, doesn't die and instead reforms, Vincent's sister is proved to have not a stain on her character, and everything ends up for the best. Which makes it all seem pretty pointless, until you realize that the whole thing was cooked up simply in order to create an ordeal for Vincent to go through, one that turns him from a callow youth, foolishly self-important, into someone who could, after all, be the hero of the book.

The problem is, not only is it a bit ridiculous to generate a whole credulity-straining plotline -- full of typically unbelievable coincidences, endangered female innocence, life-threatening illness, and all the trimmings -- just to give Vincent some depth: I don't even believe in his having emerged from the crisis as a better, deeper person. The fact is, at the beginning of the book he's a snob: he balks at even making the barest effort to socialize with his congregation because he feels that they are beneath him. Naturally they bridle at this treatment, not least because it is the congregation who appoints the minister and pays his salary: under the circumstances, it doesn't seem to be asking too much for him to be civil to them. But at the end of the book, Vincent, refined by the fire of his sufferings, declares that he refuses to even try to be civil and quits. Oliphant tries to hide this by giving him a big speech in which he declares that he can't serve both God and his congregation, but this is clearly bunk. His congregation doesn't insist on dictating the content of his sermons or overruling him on points of doctrine: they only want him to come to their social events. Vincent's insistence that he would rather quit than do this doesn't make him sympathetic, rather the opposite. Unless, of course, you agree with him that he is superior, which I suspect Oliphant does. After all, it's fairly clear from their speech alone that Vincent and his family are supposed to occupy a higher social plane than the members of the congregation: it seems, then, that Vincent's torments are given to him in order to convince him that it's deeply unfair to ask him to treat the members of his congregation on terms that contain even a hint of equality. The fact that Vincent originally sees himself as coming to Carlingford to preach the gospel of the poor against the fat-cat Established Church makes this all the more ridiculous. The book has some excellent moments, and Oliphant does a very good job with character and dialogue, but that's not enough to overcome a plot that serves only to emphasize Oliphant's unfortunately retrograde views about social class.

[~ Cheryl ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Chronicles of Carlingford were inspired by Anthony Trollope’s Barsetshire Chronicles. (Trollope began his series in 1855, and Oliphant published the first short works in her series in 1861.)

Most Vic-Lit readers come to Oliphant after Trollope, as I did. (Oliphant has now faded into obscurity, though she was tremendously popular in her day.) I’ve read the first 2-and-a-half novels in Trollope’s series, and have so far read 4 out of 7 in Oliphant’s series, so I can’t make an exhaustive comparison here. But I think the comparison is important, because it is what struck me during my reading of Salem Chapel.

(With the exception of The Warden, which was equal parts insightful and poignant), Trollope’s characters and situations seem to exist just so he can expose them and have a laugh at their expense. Oliphant’s characters feel utterly realistic, and their dilemmas mostly sympathetic; if you laugh at them now and then, it’s because they deserved it. Both series are entertaining, to be sure, but Trollope’s tone is gossipy, somehow catty; Oliphant’s is sincere. Where Trollope seems to be elbowing you and winking the whole time, Oliphant is just telling a story. Her characters are no less flawed than Trollope’s, and Oliphant is honest about their shortcomings, but they are people you might know. Relatable humans with common failings, as well as surprising sides to their personalities you only learn after spending time with them.

Salem Chapel’s main character, Arthur Vincent, arrives in Carlingford as the new “Dissenting” minister. He is young, high-spirited, and so arrogant (despite his inexperience) that he believes his preaching and influence will convert even the High Church folks at St. Roque’s, in droves. He is also less than thrilled with the somewhat politic requirements of his new position. Haughty and rude, he is certainly not likeable, but even if he wasn’t ever truly sympathetic, Oliphant always managed to make him interesting. The story begins with his "flock" in Carlingford getting to know him (and having opinions about him). Then a ‘thing’ happens which changes the feel of the story to a sensation novel for a stretch (see below*), and then the focus is back on the Salem community and its recovery.

Meanwhile, Oliphant has nestled marvelous little pearls of wisdom into the narrative, while the story explores themes such as, honor, women’s roles, respectability, and parent-child relationships.

It may not be a perfect book, but it was perfect for me. There was a bit in the middle where it became a sensation novel* (a digression I felt ill-suited to the rest of the novel). And at times, Oliphant was repetitive in her language, or wordy. Nevertheless, I've gladly overlooked these small offenses given the merits of the rest of the book. Maybe it was a right-book-right-time thing. Maybe the series really is getting better as it goes on. Or maybe this book will turn out to be the highlight of the series. All I know is that this was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.

Not only will I be thinking about this book for a while, but I’m excited to visit Carlingford again soon.

[Mary Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had me engrossed from page one.
A Victorian sensation novel.
Arthur Vincent arrives in Carlingford to take up the reins as dissenting minister of Salem Chapel.
He has aspirations but how will they go down with the members of his flock?
Lots of wonderful characters including Lady Western who he falls in love with.
He finds himself caught up in a crime and no one is who they seem!
Another neglected Victorian novelist who should be read more.
I loved it.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5. I'm still puzzling out my thoughts on this one. An enjoyable, interesting Victorian book, with a strong sensational plot and a lot of drama.

[Susan O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant, writing as Mrs. Oliphant, was a 19th century Scottish novelist and short story writer known for "domestic realism, the historical novel and tales of the supernatural." Already a prolific writer, after the death of her husband she had to support her family and later that of her brother with her pen. Largely forgotten in the 20th century, there was a small revival in the 1980s. Her best-known work now is probably "Miss Marjoribanks", the 5th in the Carlingford series, after a BBC broadcast dramatization in 1992. I've seen her compared favorably with Austen, Eliot, and Trollope.

In this book, 3rd in the Carlingsford series, Arthur Vincent arrives to his first appointment as the new Nonconformist minister for Salem's Chapel. Although he had visions of working with the poor, he is a little dismayed that his congregation is made up primarily of tradespeople and that all of Society in Carlingford attends the Church of England. He is a young man with ambitions, a fiery temper (although usually kept underwraps), and unrealistic expectations of his first appointment.

Within the first few weeks, Vincent encounters two women who capture his imagination - the beautiful and young Lady Dowager Western and the mysterious Mrs. Hilyard. The present and pasts of both ladies intertwine with the lives of his widowed mother and sister to create an exciting story. There's abduction, assumed identities, murder, a hidden child, and bigamy. At least all of these are potentials and you keep reading to see if they all pan out. As background to all of this are the power struggles within the congregation.

I did find the main character somewhat irritating, but it's hard to tell if those aspects of Vincent's personality are character flaws or simply immaturity. I also found his mother a little too hysterical even for a 19th century novel. However, overall I really enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to those who like 19th century literature.

[Nat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book that goes on a bit too long to hold the interest. Also, in a reversal of gender from the books I have been reading recently it is the main male character that I found really annoying, a bit of a drip and very unsympathetic and the female characters that are stronger and grab the attention. An interesting book that doesn’t live up to its promise.

[Colin Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lost track of the coincidences in the novel and the characters she brought in and then forgot (or suddenly remembered) but she is a dab hand at crackling dialogue and the overheard conversation.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly prescient for modern ministers and their families who deal with this same nonsense.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really good first third of clerical comedy of manners (contemporary readers of the initial anon serialisation suspected George Eliot of authorship) which turned into an excruciating trainwreck of Mrs O. flailing about in a genre she really does not remotely speak let alone respect (her essay on sensation fiction bad was published the year before this), going 'oh shit nm' after a few chapters and then trying to wrench the book back on track by doing a meta so what happens AFTER melodrama and people try to return to normal life after the bigamy-kidnapping-ravishment-murder bit. Which could have been interesting, but by then we were several planetary systems over the shark with no possible way back.

[Kate Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hovering between four and five stars - this confirms my gut feeling that Margaret Oliphant will eventually be one of my favorite authors. Such an emotional roller coaster of a book but still so engaging with interesting characters - ranging from not very likeable to very winsome. It felt so delightfully Victorian. Something that I'm loving with each Margaret Oliphant book I love are all the little domestic details about people's houses, food, and clothing.

[Joan Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salem Chapel is the 5th of seven works set in the delightful country town of Carlingford.
Free download of all seven works in the series can be found here: Chronicles of Carlingford.

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is all too easy to underrate the fine writing of Mrs Oliphant today, and all too easy to dismiss her as scornfully as Virginia Woolf did, as an example of the Bad Woman Writer: “She (Mrs Oliphant) prostituted her intellect.” These words are more telling of Woolf’s contempt for a person who earned a living by her books, than they are of Woolf as a critic. But Mrs Oliphant is no slouch as a writer. Her novels tend to realism far more than those of most of her contemporaries, except George Eliot, against whom her books are measured. Neither does she deal in the kind of sensationalism so many of her male contemporaries delighted in.

Experimentation, in fact, best explains the unevenness in her writing, as she explored different styles, different forms and even different genres. Most of her novels are coming-of-age stories, many set in the fictitious town of Carlingford, and she is at her best when she works out the happy maturing, or disillusionment, as the case may be, both of men and women. Short stories, ghost stories, romance and melodrama, Oliphant tries them all. When she discovered that something did not suit her style, she let it go at once; the tragedy was that she didn't always recognise her own shortcomings.

Although the essential theme of ‘Salem Chapel’ is about the fitness of a priest for his calling, a subject she had already touched upon in ‘The Rector,’ the whole novel is devoted to the story of the young pastor’s sister, who is suddenly missing from home. The complications following this are confused and confusing, but very natural, as young Arthur Vincent and his mother, Mrs Vincent, have no idea how or why and under what circumstances their sister/daughter has followed a man whose identity is purely conjectural at this point.

The other difficulty facing Arthur Vincent is the nature of his flock. As a non-Conformist pastor, he is appointed to his post after a series of interviews and sermons judged by the people he is supposed to lead. It is brought home to him several times that he is not a free man, that his salary is paid by his parishioners, that his duty is to mingle and socialise with them at their pleasure, not his own. This the young preacher does, almost as a sufferance, while his youthful heart is infatuated among the Church of England gentry and county people, to the deep resentment of the little Dissenting community. This is intensified when Vincent, in the search for his sister, has to miss a Sunday’s sermons, and sends to a friend from Homerton to preach in his stead. But the dissatisfaction is audible:

“Business of his own! a minister ain’t got no right to have business of his own, leastways on Sundays. Preaching’s his business. I don’t hold with that notion. He’s in our employ, and we pays him well—”

“We pays him well, as I say; I have to stick to my business well or ill, and I don’t see no reason why the minister should be different. If he don’t mind us as pays him, why, another will.”

Had she limited herself to this idea, ‘Salem Chapel’ might have been as good as the last in the Carlingford series. However, Oliphant introduces a beautiful fairy princess in the plot, and a mysterious woman who takes in sewing, but who evidently belongs to a far superior social station in life, both of whom are strangely connected to Vincent’s sister, and her protegée, a young child. A murder is announced, and the sister is accused of the deed. All this is cumbersome and unnecessary.

Perhaps the real genius in this novel is the development of character, and indeed, the portrayal of character, from the minor players to the persons who play an important rôle in the later books of the series. The congregation of Salem Chapel as a single unit is a brilliant depiction while the constituent parts of the congregation have their own personalities, thir petty jealousies and affronted egos, etched in sharp outline. Tozer the butterman is a striking and unforgettable character. Tozer’s wife and daughter are equally memorable.

The young preacher, Arthur Vincent, moves from an immature arrogance and contempt for his flock, identifying more with the educated and cultured ladies and gentlemen of leisure who are Conservative Anglicans, through a youthful infatuation to his greater responsibilities as a brother and the head of his family. At the end, he realises that he is temperamentally unsuited to subservience, and his place is taken by a man who, “if he was not quite equal to Mr. Vincent in the pulpit, was much more complaisant at all the tea-parties.”

Surprisingly, for Oliphant was known for her feminist views, none of the women here really impress. Surely the most exasperating woman in fiction has to be Mrs Vincent, Vincent's mother. And yet she is a kind of cement which holds all the bricks together. She inspires respect for her dignity and her unflagging defence of her children. At the end, she is almost endearing, despite her extraordinary sense of priorities. Of the three other women in the book, only the aloof and mocking Mrs Hilyard has a major role to play, and her part accordingly grows from a tantalising mystery into one that is dangerous and later remorseful and even commonplace. Lady Western is a lovely trap into which our preacher falls, but little more. And Phoebe Tozer is an interesting study in herself. But it is finally her daughter whose charm and kindness closes the series.

What finally remains is Oliphant's literary style, down-to-earth rather than lyrical, and analytical rather than descriptive flourishing. Despite the apparent changes in plot, the narrative is crisp and the suspense in both stories leads to one ineluctable outcome. A great read, but one which calls for an understanding of the times in which it was written.

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. I really liked the beginning, but it flagged for me for most of the story, and I confess to skipping through a lot. The ending is predictable, but satisfying.

[Jessica Fulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was also an excellent story, it went on a little too long for me, and I struggled to finish. Still, wonderful writing, the author had a keen insight into people's thoughts and actions.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salem Chapel is the only dissenting place of worship in Carlingford. New Minister Arthur Vincent has come from Lonsdale to take over from old Mr Tufton. The congregation has been largely approving. One day, though, Vincent sees Lady Western - a dowager who is younger than her step-daughter-in-law - on a visit to Mrs Hilyard, and his head is turned, despite her being an adherent of the Church of England. His parishioners would much prefer he has nothing to do with such people, though the Chapel’s senior deacon’s daughter, Phoebe Tozer, is also thought to be a bit above herself in setting her cap at him.

Mrs Hilyard is living in reduced circumstances and on a pastoral visit to her Vincent finds her background convoluted, not to mention melodramatic. She prevails on him to put her daughter into the care of Vincent’s mother and sister in Lonsdale, without quite explaining the need. In the meantime Vincent’s sister, Susan, is being wooed by a Mr Fordham. The reader senses immediately there is something awry about the relationship. This gentleman is indeed the villain of the piece, and has used Fordham’s name to disguise himself. His connection to Mrs Hilyard and abduction of her daughter from Lonsdale when Vincent’s mother is visiting her son in Carlingford provide the motor for a rather lurid sub-plot.

Oliphant was obviously a keen observer of the politics of a parish and congregation. Vincent’s lack of enthusiasm for visiting and cups of tea had already been looked on askance but his distraction by the plight of his sister (which has to be kept as secret as possible) and the necessity of seeking her whereabouts lead to dissatisfaction in his congregation at his regular absences and eventually a call for his resignation. A resounding speech by Mr Tozer at the meeting to decide on this rouses all but a few in his defence.

It's a perfectly respectable example of the nineteenth century novelist's art but, overall, has that era's tendency to wordiness, exacerbated here by descriptions like “the Nonconformist,” “the young Dowager” and “the worthy deacon” instead of the character’s name, not to mention a tendency to end a clause - or even a sentence - with a preposition. It might make a decent televisual alternative to the usual Austen remakes, however.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

"“Saving souls!” the words came back and back to Vincent’s bewildered mind. They formed a measure and cadence in their constant repetition, haunting him like some spiritual suggestion, as he looked over, with senses confused and dizzy, his little stock of sermons, to make preparation for the duty which he could not escape. At last he tossed them all away in a heap, seized his pen, and poured forth his heart. Saving souls! what did it mean?"

Salem Chapel is both about a young minister's first venture as a clergyman as well as Mrs. Oliphant's attempt at a sensation novel. And I do mean attempt because I did not feel that she was all that succesful.

Mr. Vincent is the young new minister of the Nonconformist chapel in Salem. He has high thoughts about his own genius and how the people will receive them. However, he must soon learn that reality really is something different than fantasy. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman of his flock, and Mr. Vincent's mother and sister are suddenly linked in a mysterious and dangerous way.

While this novel has all of the hallmarks of a sensation novel (kidnapping, seduction, deception, murder, ect.), I did not think that it was executed all that well. All of the plot points were resolved within a couple of chapters. Sometimes even in the same chapter. I couldn't really get invested and excited as the danger was almost over before it began. If the book was shorter, I could understand it, but it is almost 400 pages. I needed a bit more sensation than what I got.

However, I really like the parts about Mr. Vincent and how being a clergyman was something completely different than what he had expected. I know so well what it is like to build something up in your imagination for it to come tumbling down in the face of reality, and the book conveyed this brilliantly. If the book had only been about that, it would have gotten a higher rating.

My other reviews of the Chronicles of Carlingford series:
The Doctor's Family (#2)
The Perpetual Curate (#4)
Miss Marjoribanks (#5)
Phoebe Junior (#6)

[Whimsical · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading Margaret Oliphant and it was an adventure into the life of the people of Carlingord and thier curate Vincent. The differences in the class structure and it workings is evident, as well as the way the church and its function in society was perceived. I like the writing style of Ms. Olipant and look forward to reading more of her books.

[Hope · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my third Oliphant title and definitely the worst. I keep trying her because she comes so highly recommended by G.K. Chesterton in his book on Victorian authors. This was a Victorian sensation novel complete with a villain out to destroy a woman's virtue. The main character (a pastor!) was completely unlikable.

[Barbara Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly a hard work read. Fussy unlikeable characters having regular sulks or fits of hysterics. Although there were a few bits which were so over the top they were funny, I don't think I could ever handle another volume of the 'Chronicles'.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs Oliphant may be forgotten now but she was big in her day! Wrote great books about middle-class Victorian England that deserve revival...

[Corinna Laughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the Carlingford Chronicles. Unlikable hero. His mother is the best character.

[Andreea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gothic subplots in this were pretty interesting, but the main character was an irritating manbaby and the book felt really, really long.

[Kay Robart · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2015...

[Rita]

republished by Virago

orig. 2 volumes, it seems. Check before ordering