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The three Miss Kings
The Three Miss Kings - Elizabeth, Eleanor and Patty - were brought up in a remote seaside settlement in Victoria, Australia, their father a mysterious man of 'preposterous eccentricity', their late mother a dignified, accomplished woman who instilled in the girls an appreciation of 'spiritual and intellectual aspirations' which compensates for their lack of worldly experience. Such virtues serve the sisters well when, on the death of their father, they begin a new life in Melbourne. Under the watchful eye of one of society's more respectable patrons, they learn quickly about 'life, and love, and trouble, and etiquette among city folks' - to emerge radiant in their succession to both marriage and gentility. First published in 1891, The Three Miss Kings was one of Ada Cambridge's most popular novels, a delightful story of young women's gentrification in a colonial society still tied to the aspirations of its English forebears.
314 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 1891
209 people want to read
About the author
Ada Cambridge
131 books14 followersAda Cambridge (21 November 1844 – 19 July 1926), later known as Ada Cross, was an English-born Australian writer.
Overall she wrote more than twenty-five works of fiction, three volumes of poetry and two autobiographical works.[1] Many of her novels were serialised in Australian newspapers, and were never published in book form.
While she was known to friends and family by her married name, Ada Cross, she was known to her newspaper readers as A.C.. Later in her career she reverted to her maiden name, Ada Cambridge, and it is thus by this name that she is known.
Ada Cambridge married the Rev. George Cross in 1870 and immediately sailed for Australia. They lived in various towns in Victoria but finally settled in Melbourne. When her husband wanted to return to England, Ada reluctantly followed him and lived in England again from 1912 to 1917. Upon her husband's death in 1917 she returned to Australia where she remained for the rest of her life.
Selected Bibliography
* Hymns on the Litany (1865)
* Hymns on the Holy Communion (1866)
* The Manor House: and Other Poems (1875)
* My Guardian (Novel, 1877)
* In Two Years' Time (Novel, 1879)
* A Mere Chance (Novel, 1882)
* Unspoken Thoughts (Novel, 1887)
* A Woman's Friendship (Serialised in the Age, 1889; first published in book form in 1988)
* A Marked Man (Novel, 1890)
* The Three Miss Kings (Novel, 1891)
* Not All in Vain (Novel, 1892)
* A Little Minx (Novel, 1893)
* A Marriage Ceremony (Novel, 1894),
* Fidelis (Novel, 1895)
* A Humble Enterprise (Novel, 1896),
* At Midnight: and Other Stories (1897)
* Materfamilias (Novel, 1898),
* Path and Goal (Novel, 1900)
* The Devastators (Novel, 1901)
* Thirty Years in Australia (Memoir, 1903)
* Sisters (Novel, 1904)
* A Platonic Friendship (Novel, 1905)
* A Happy Marriage (Novel, 1906)
* The Eternal Feminine (Novel, 1907)
* The Retrospect (Memoir, 1912)
* The Hand in the Dark: and Other Poems (1913)
* The Making of Rachel Rowe (Novel, 1914)
Overall she wrote more than twenty-five works of fiction, three volumes of poetry and two autobiographical works.[1] Many of her novels were serialised in Australian newspapers, and were never published in book form.
While she was known to friends and family by her married name, Ada Cross, she was known to her newspaper readers as A.C.. Later in her career she reverted to her maiden name, Ada Cambridge, and it is thus by this name that she is known.
Ada Cambridge married the Rev. George Cross in 1870 and immediately sailed for Australia. They lived in various towns in Victoria but finally settled in Melbourne. When her husband wanted to return to England, Ada reluctantly followed him and lived in England again from 1912 to 1917. Upon her husband's death in 1917 she returned to Australia where she remained for the rest of her life.
Selected Bibliography
* Hymns on the Litany (1865)
* Hymns on the Holy Communion (1866)
* The Manor House: and Other Poems (1875)
* My Guardian (Novel, 1877)
* In Two Years' Time (Novel, 1879)
* A Mere Chance (Novel, 1882)
* Unspoken Thoughts (Novel, 1887)
* A Woman's Friendship (Serialised in the Age, 1889; first published in book form in 1988)
* A Marked Man (Novel, 1890)
* The Three Miss Kings (Novel, 1891)
* Not All in Vain (Novel, 1892)
* A Little Minx (Novel, 1893)
* A Marriage Ceremony (Novel, 1894),
* Fidelis (Novel, 1895)
* A Humble Enterprise (Novel, 1896),
* At Midnight: and Other Stories (1897)
* Materfamilias (Novel, 1898),
* Path and Goal (Novel, 1900)
* The Devastators (Novel, 1901)
* Thirty Years in Australia (Memoir, 1903)
* Sisters (Novel, 1904)
* A Platonic Friendship (Novel, 1905)
* A Happy Marriage (Novel, 1906)
* The Eternal Feminine (Novel, 1907)
* The Retrospect (Memoir, 1912)
* The Hand in the Dark: and Other Poems (1913)
* The Making of Rachel Rowe (Novel, 1914)
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 28, 2018
Ho hum. That was a lot of reading for a little bit of enjoyment. There are some very nice descriptive passages and believable dialogue but much of the language was cumbersome and long-winded. I kept hoping it would improve but the plot was just too ooey-gooey-good for my taste. I mean — really! — three poor orphaned young women of mysterious ancestry who And — oh no! — don’t forget about the three weddings! To be sure, a fairy tale needs at least one wedding. Three just makes for a better story, doesn’t it?
January 8, 2019
Ada Cambridge created a classic storyline. The plot was mostly interesting and I assume for it's time would have created much debate in it's coverage of the independent woman, criticism of the Church failing to keep up with the time, the need for Federation and criticism of the newly-rich. I also liked the description of the Royal Exhibition Building and the international exhibition of 1880. It does of course run off into a fairytale of a surprised inheritance, romance and happy endings.
The Kings are three young women who have lived their 20-ish years in a remote Victorian property. Their parents have been relative hermits but were well educated so the girls gained a knowledge of languages, music and art. After their parents die they have a small income and head to Melbourne, the big smoke, to learn more about the world. They quickly become involved with society and with their beauty, musical talents and independent thinking become the talk of the town.
It does rattle on at times which is probably due to its initial publication as a serial. But overall this is one 1880s Australian top read.
The Kings are three young women who have lived their 20-ish years in a remote Victorian property. Their parents have been relative hermits but were well educated so the girls gained a knowledge of languages, music and art. After their parents die they have a small income and head to Melbourne, the big smoke, to learn more about the world. They quickly become involved with society and with their beauty, musical talents and independent thinking become the talk of the town.
It does rattle on at times which is probably due to its initial publication as a serial. But overall this is one 1880s Australian top read.
Want to read
November 18, 2015Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
November 13, 2013
The Three Miss Kings is set in Australia during the 1880’s – mainly taking place in Melbourne – although the novel opens in a rural area on the Southern ocean, where the three Miss Kings of the title have always lived in a certain amount of seclusion. Elizabeth, Patty and Eleanor having lost their mother some years earlier have now recently lost their father a reclusive man of difficult temperament. Contemplating their inheritance the young women consider themselves to be very well provided for – and as they sit on their beloved cliffs gazing out across the sea – they begin to plan their future. Patty and Eleanor are keen to travel, to go to Europe and see something of the world, however, Elizabeth the elder sister who is more measured and practical urges caution, suggesting that they go to Melbourne – for that is still a worldlier place than they have ever experienced – while they get used to living alone. So the sisters leave everything they know – their faithful old family retainer, their menagerie of animals and Mr Brion the fatherly old lawyer who advises them – and set out for Melbourne.
Once in Melbourne they are met by Paul Brion, the son of their family lawyer, who has been directed by his father to look out for the sisters and arrange lodgings for them. Almost immediately Paul and Patty start sparring – instantly misunderstanding one another – and the reader just knows how this is likely to play out. Patty; impulsive, and strong willed, Paul Brion a poor, proud newspaper writer, drawn to one another but destined it seems to be constantly at odds. Comfortably ensconced in pleasant lodgings, the sisters quickly realise they are living in the rooms previously occupied by Paul Brion – who gave up his rooms so that the sisters could be comfortably suited, Patty is particularly mortified, not wishing to be beholden to Paul Brion. Soon the sisters are living next door, and Paul Brion is back in his own rooms, where through a thin partition the sisters and Paul Brion are often very much aware of one another.
“In the stillness of the night, Paul Brion, leaning over his balustrade of the verandah, and whitening his coat against the partition that divided his portion of it from theirs, heard the opening bars of the funeral march, the gradually swelling sound and thrill of it impassioned harmonies, as of a procession tramping towards him along the street, and the sudden lapse into untimely silence. And then he heard, very faintly, a low cry and a few hurried sobs, and it was as if a lash had struck him.”
It is soon apparent that what the sisters had considered to be a considerable fortune is anything but. Their ambitions of adding to their simple wardrobes are thwarted by the cost of everything they want, which comes as an unwelcome surprise. Under the calm, guiding hand of Elizabeth, the sisters content themselves with using a few luxurious pieces of fabric, lace and some pearls from their mother’s possessions to accentuate the look their simple black gowns. The King sisters find they have much to learn, society is a complex place, where visits must be returned, lone gentlemen can’t be invited to tea and the nouveaux riche can never really be a lady as they simply do not come from the right section of society.
The Three Miss Kings is very much rooted in time and place. The novel opens in 1880, the time of the international Exhibition in Melbourne. There are refrences too, to the recednt capture of Ned Kelly and the Melbourne cup, and Melbourne itself is presented as a thriving modern city. It is during the procession, the day before the Exhibition opens that the true Cinderella nature of this story starts to take off. As Elizabeth stands in the street on the steps of a building, keeping a place for her sisters where they hope to be able to see the parade, she is almost crushed by the surging crowd, when she is saved by a stranger, a tall strong man, who immediately makes the gentle Elizabeth feel safe and protected. Mr Yelverton , a wealthy man from England, whose family history has a tragic mystery at the heart of it, has concerned himself with the plight of the poor of Whitechapel and later challenges Elizabeth’s conventional ideas on religion.
“Stand here, and I can shelter you a little” he said, in a quiet tone that contrasted refreshingly with the hoarse excitement around them. He drew her close to his side by the same grip of her waist that had listed her bodily when she was off her feet, and immediately releasing her, stretched a strong left arm between her exposed shoulder and the crush of the crowd. The arm was irresistibly pressed upon her own arm, and bent across her in a curve that was neither more nor less than a vehement embrace, and so she stood in a condition of delicious astonishment, one tingling blush from head to foot.”
while Elizabeth King and Mr Yelverton’s friendship develops, the sisters find themselves “taken up” by Mrs Duff-Scott and her husband, Mrs Duff-Scott is the pinnacle of Melbourne society, and when she decides to practically adopt the sisters, their success is assured. Mrs Duff-Scott is determined to get good marriages for her protégées and with Eleanor being courted by Mr Westmorland, and Patty pursued by the ridiculous Mr Smith, Elizabeth is allowed to get closer to Mr Yelverton, while Paul Brion, not someone of whom Mrs Duff-Scott really approves, feels more pushed out than ever.
As Elizabeth has to consider whether she will marry Mr Yelverton or not, during a visit back to their old home on the cliffs – an astonishing discovery turns everything on its head.
While Ada Cambridge’s best known novel is a romantic Cinderella story, it is also the story of Victorian Australian society; Ada Cambridge is realistic in her depictions of marriage and societal conventions and snobberies. Judging by the introduction to my VMC edition by Audrey Tate, Ada Cambridge herself was an interesting woman, who wrote an autobiography called Thirty Years in Australia – I rather fancy tracking that down I think.
Once in Melbourne they are met by Paul Brion, the son of their family lawyer, who has been directed by his father to look out for the sisters and arrange lodgings for them. Almost immediately Paul and Patty start sparring – instantly misunderstanding one another – and the reader just knows how this is likely to play out. Patty; impulsive, and strong willed, Paul Brion a poor, proud newspaper writer, drawn to one another but destined it seems to be constantly at odds. Comfortably ensconced in pleasant lodgings, the sisters quickly realise they are living in the rooms previously occupied by Paul Brion – who gave up his rooms so that the sisters could be comfortably suited, Patty is particularly mortified, not wishing to be beholden to Paul Brion. Soon the sisters are living next door, and Paul Brion is back in his own rooms, where through a thin partition the sisters and Paul Brion are often very much aware of one another.
“In the stillness of the night, Paul Brion, leaning over his balustrade of the verandah, and whitening his coat against the partition that divided his portion of it from theirs, heard the opening bars of the funeral march, the gradually swelling sound and thrill of it impassioned harmonies, as of a procession tramping towards him along the street, and the sudden lapse into untimely silence. And then he heard, very faintly, a low cry and a few hurried sobs, and it was as if a lash had struck him.”
It is soon apparent that what the sisters had considered to be a considerable fortune is anything but. Their ambitions of adding to their simple wardrobes are thwarted by the cost of everything they want, which comes as an unwelcome surprise. Under the calm, guiding hand of Elizabeth, the sisters content themselves with using a few luxurious pieces of fabric, lace and some pearls from their mother’s possessions to accentuate the look their simple black gowns. The King sisters find they have much to learn, society is a complex place, where visits must be returned, lone gentlemen can’t be invited to tea and the nouveaux riche can never really be a lady as they simply do not come from the right section of society.
The Three Miss Kings is very much rooted in time and place. The novel opens in 1880, the time of the international Exhibition in Melbourne. There are refrences too, to the recednt capture of Ned Kelly and the Melbourne cup, and Melbourne itself is presented as a thriving modern city. It is during the procession, the day before the Exhibition opens that the true Cinderella nature of this story starts to take off. As Elizabeth stands in the street on the steps of a building, keeping a place for her sisters where they hope to be able to see the parade, she is almost crushed by the surging crowd, when she is saved by a stranger, a tall strong man, who immediately makes the gentle Elizabeth feel safe and protected. Mr Yelverton , a wealthy man from England, whose family history has a tragic mystery at the heart of it, has concerned himself with the plight of the poor of Whitechapel and later challenges Elizabeth’s conventional ideas on religion.
“Stand here, and I can shelter you a little” he said, in a quiet tone that contrasted refreshingly with the hoarse excitement around them. He drew her close to his side by the same grip of her waist that had listed her bodily when she was off her feet, and immediately releasing her, stretched a strong left arm between her exposed shoulder and the crush of the crowd. The arm was irresistibly pressed upon her own arm, and bent across her in a curve that was neither more nor less than a vehement embrace, and so she stood in a condition of delicious astonishment, one tingling blush from head to foot.”
while Elizabeth King and Mr Yelverton’s friendship develops, the sisters find themselves “taken up” by Mrs Duff-Scott and her husband, Mrs Duff-Scott is the pinnacle of Melbourne society, and when she decides to practically adopt the sisters, their success is assured. Mrs Duff-Scott is determined to get good marriages for her protégées and with Eleanor being courted by Mr Westmorland, and Patty pursued by the ridiculous Mr Smith, Elizabeth is allowed to get closer to Mr Yelverton, while Paul Brion, not someone of whom Mrs Duff-Scott really approves, feels more pushed out than ever.
As Elizabeth has to consider whether she will marry Mr Yelverton or not, during a visit back to their old home on the cliffs – an astonishing discovery turns everything on its head.
While Ada Cambridge’s best known novel is a romantic Cinderella story, it is also the story of Victorian Australian society; Ada Cambridge is realistic in her depictions of marriage and societal conventions and snobberies. Judging by the introduction to my VMC edition by Audrey Tate, Ada Cambridge herself was an interesting woman, who wrote an autobiography called Thirty Years in Australia – I rather fancy tracking that down I think.
March 13, 2014
"The Three Miss Kings" was first published as a serial in the
"Australasian", a prestigious weekly paper committed to bringing
good literature (George Eliot, Thomas Hardy etc) to discerning
readers in the colonies. It was then published by William
Heineman in 1891 where it was glowingly reviewed. Ada Cambridge
was typical of the many women who went out to Australia as
young brides - for many years caught between believing Britain
was their real home and Australia was just a temporary abode.
When Ada's husband retired in 1912 they returned to England even
though they had been living in Australia since 1870!!! Ada then
realised she was a true blue Aussie and when her husband died
returned to Australia in 1917 through the submarine infested
waters of World War 1.
"The Three Miss Kings" had themes that Ada was quite passionate
about - what being a lady really means, marriage, money, the
feelings of being an exile and unexpected reversals of fortune
where common in Victorian fiction. The story is played out amid
the background of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880.
Ever since the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 exhibitions had
been big news and Melbourne had already staged 5 but none so grand
as this one which was proudly compared to London, Paris and
Philadelphia. Cambridge creates a real atmosphere of stifling
crowds (apparently over 20,000 came to see the Procession),
congestion and crush as Elizabeth is almost smothered trying to
hold her place on the pavement - but in true Victorian fashion,
a White Knight comes to her aid in the person of Kingscote
Yelverton. Crowds came to see, try and buy with the result that
Melbourne found a place on the world stage. The pavilions with
exhibitions from around the world - Murano glass, Majolica ware
and Limoges enamel, also provides a back-drop for the budding
romance of Elizabeth and Yelverton. Second sister Patty has
already met her "romance" in the son of an old family friend but
she clashes with Paul Brion, a budding writer and journalist,
from the first but of course it is obvious they are destined for
each other - though not without the usual opposition!!
The three sisters originally live in a little seaside town (set
in a day where koalas are called monkey bears and octopi are
called devil fish!!) but the death of their father forces them to
take up residence in Melbourne and fortunately Paul Brion is there
to guide them - until kindly Mrs. Duff-Scott steps in and almost
upsets the apple cart. There are three sisters - Elizabeth the
stately and sensible, Patty the passionate and fiery and the
youngest Eleanor whose head is easily turned by their new found
wealth and prestige. The next big event is the Melbourne Cup (so
dear to every Australian's heart) and it is fantastic how
Cambridge not only creates a thrilling atmosphere (it was the
year "Grand Flaneur" won) but describes the fashions (has anything
really changed!!) where the King sisters in their simple muslin
frocks turn heads when the order of the day is heavy imported gowns.
Like today the city was a ghost town - everyone was at the Cup!!
Cambridge also has a bee in her bonnet about the "nouveau riche"
although the sisters seemed to be forgiven, even though they
have come from paupers to wealth very mysteriously - people who have suddenly acquired money or, a thousand times
worse, made their pile in trade (shops etc) - or who choose to
remain uneducated about the finer things in life!!!
From the first Mrs. Aarons (with a hint of anti Semitism in
describing her husband's features) is described as being not
quite right, she is a social climber, a person who is only interested
in having people around her that makes her look "cutting edge" -
she is also a "man dangler" and it is this that puts Paul on the
outer with Patty. He has been seen at the Cup squiring the lady
around -( actually she had cornered him!!) and then "tit for tat"
Patty cuts him dead in the main street!!!
Readers of Victorian fiction know the outcome from the time
Yelverton begins to tell the story of his hot headed uncle and the
sweet and saintly Elizabeth Leigh whose perfection causes a rift
between the brothers.
"Australasian", a prestigious weekly paper committed to bringing
good literature (George Eliot, Thomas Hardy etc) to discerning
readers in the colonies. It was then published by William
Heineman in 1891 where it was glowingly reviewed. Ada Cambridge
was typical of the many women who went out to Australia as
young brides - for many years caught between believing Britain
was their real home and Australia was just a temporary abode.
When Ada's husband retired in 1912 they returned to England even
though they had been living in Australia since 1870!!! Ada then
realised she was a true blue Aussie and when her husband died
returned to Australia in 1917 through the submarine infested
waters of World War 1.
"The Three Miss Kings" had themes that Ada was quite passionate
about - what being a lady really means, marriage, money, the
feelings of being an exile and unexpected reversals of fortune
where common in Victorian fiction. The story is played out amid
the background of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880.
Ever since the Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851 exhibitions had
been big news and Melbourne had already staged 5 but none so grand
as this one which was proudly compared to London, Paris and
Philadelphia. Cambridge creates a real atmosphere of stifling
crowds (apparently over 20,000 came to see the Procession),
congestion and crush as Elizabeth is almost smothered trying to
hold her place on the pavement - but in true Victorian fashion,
a White Knight comes to her aid in the person of Kingscote
Yelverton. Crowds came to see, try and buy with the result that
Melbourne found a place on the world stage. The pavilions with
exhibitions from around the world - Murano glass, Majolica ware
and Limoges enamel, also provides a back-drop for the budding
romance of Elizabeth and Yelverton. Second sister Patty has
already met her "romance" in the son of an old family friend but
she clashes with Paul Brion, a budding writer and journalist,
from the first but of course it is obvious they are destined for
each other - though not without the usual opposition!!
The three sisters originally live in a little seaside town (set
in a day where koalas are called monkey bears and octopi are
called devil fish!!) but the death of their father forces them to
take up residence in Melbourne and fortunately Paul Brion is there
to guide them - until kindly Mrs. Duff-Scott steps in and almost
upsets the apple cart. There are three sisters - Elizabeth the
stately and sensible, Patty the passionate and fiery and the
youngest Eleanor whose head is easily turned by their new found
wealth and prestige. The next big event is the Melbourne Cup (so
dear to every Australian's heart) and it is fantastic how
Cambridge not only creates a thrilling atmosphere (it was the
year "Grand Flaneur" won) but describes the fashions (has anything
really changed!!) where the King sisters in their simple muslin
frocks turn heads when the order of the day is heavy imported gowns.
Like today the city was a ghost town - everyone was at the Cup!!
Cambridge also has a bee in her bonnet about the "nouveau riche"
although the sisters seemed to be forgiven, even though they
have come from paupers to wealth very mysteriously - people who have suddenly acquired money or, a thousand times
worse, made their pile in trade (shops etc) - or who choose to
remain uneducated about the finer things in life!!!
From the first Mrs. Aarons (with a hint of anti Semitism in
describing her husband's features) is described as being not
quite right, she is a social climber, a person who is only interested
in having people around her that makes her look "cutting edge" -
she is also a "man dangler" and it is this that puts Paul on the
outer with Patty. He has been seen at the Cup squiring the lady
around -( actually she had cornered him!!) and then "tit for tat"
Patty cuts him dead in the main street!!!
Readers of Victorian fiction know the outcome from the time
Yelverton begins to tell the story of his hot headed uncle and the
sweet and saintly Elizabeth Leigh whose perfection causes a rift
between the brothers.
August 16, 2011
The three Miss Kings are left nearly destitute when their eccentric father dies. They pluckily leave their small seaside Australian village and move to Melbourne to begin a new life, where they all find romance and good fortune.
I alternated between liking and disliking this, to be honest. The heroines (especially Elizabeth, the eldest) are often too perfect -- too beautiful, too clever, too good -- but sometimes they're beautifully imperfect, especially Patty, the mercurial, honest middle sister. There are also hints that the happily-ever-after may not be perfectly happy, and some wonderful narrative intrusions, both of which keep the book from being too saccharin. Here's a lovely bit:
"[Eleanor] was looking as composed and fair and refined as possible in her delicate white gown and unruffled yellow hair -- like a tall lily, I feel I ought (and for a moment was tempted) to add, only that I know no girl ever did look like a lily since the world was made, nor ever will, no matter what the processes of evolution may come to."
I don't think Virago has reprinted any other Cambridge novels, and I don't know that I'll try to track others down, but this one was certainly worth reading.
I alternated between liking and disliking this, to be honest. The heroines (especially Elizabeth, the eldest) are often too perfect -- too beautiful, too clever, too good -- but sometimes they're beautifully imperfect, especially Patty, the mercurial, honest middle sister. There are also hints that the happily-ever-after may not be perfectly happy, and some wonderful narrative intrusions, both of which keep the book from being too saccharin. Here's a lovely bit:
"[Eleanor] was looking as composed and fair and refined as possible in her delicate white gown and unruffled yellow hair -- like a tall lily, I feel I ought (and for a moment was tempted) to add, only that I know no girl ever did look like a lily since the world was made, nor ever will, no matter what the processes of evolution may come to."
I don't think Virago has reprinted any other Cambridge novels, and I don't know that I'll try to track others down, but this one was certainly worth reading.
January 13, 2018
Here are my thoughts
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October 29, 2021
3.5 stars. A fairy tale.
January 1, 2016
The story of three sisters in their twenties who have led an isolated life in remote coastal Victoria in 1860s to 80s. Their reclusive father dies and they inherit a modest annual allowance. They decide to go to Melbourne. The book is mostly set in Melbourne of 1880 at the time of the Great Exhibition. Ada Cambridge (one of Australia's most successful authors of the late Victorian/Edwardian era) is a master of character study and Victoria society in a style reminiscent of Jane Austen. The book could be read as a simple coming of age, finding romance and rags to riches story, however Cambridge's superior writing style and understanding of the intricacies of English and Australian "society" combined with her philosophical discourse on the roles of women, religion and the class system make it so much more. It's a real treat to read about the Great Exhibition and the Melbourne Cup of 1880 from someone who was there. My only disappointment was how subservient and passive two of the independent and strong willed sisters became when they married, with Cambridge's apparent endorsement. It seemed weak after such an independent approach throughout the earlier chapters of the novel. Perhaps she felt she had to do this in order to be accepted by Victorian era readers? or perhaps I am expecting too much of a novel that was written in 1891 by a clergyman's wife!
August 11, 2016
The Three Miss Kings by Ada Cambridge
This amusing and at times quietly satirical novel was first published in 1883 as a serial in the weekly journal “The Australasian”, a journal dedicated to publishing “good English literature” and boasting among its contributors George Eliot, Trollope and Hardy. The three Miss Kings, Elizabeth, Patty and Eleanor, newly `orphaned’ in their mid-twenties and left with modest incomes, have been raised largely in isolation from people of their own generation in a remote community, by their reclusive English-born parents. As middle daughter Patty says “Life is short, and there is so much for us to see and learn – all these years we have been out of it so utterly…Let’s get into the thick of it at once, and recover lost time.”
Commonsense prevails so they put aside their ambition to head straight for Europe and decide to explore the unknown closer to home, Melbourne in 1880 just before the opening of the International Exhibition. They quickly realize that their means are very modest indeed and each fantasizes about suddenly finding themselves heiresses by some stroke of fate. Little do they know! They quickly learn how to best manage their meagre resources and always keep their focus on exploring their new sphere.
Ada Cambridge, the wife of an English vicar who brought her to live in Australia, clearly understands the attraction of having some independence because it is an important strain in the narrative. The three girls staunchly protect their independence to extent of turning away help from Paul Brion, a journalist they have known most of their lives. When they do finally accept his offer to introduce them into society Patty’s ability to play a piece of obscure and difficult piano music wins them the acceptance their visibly impecunious state had hitherto denied them. They are `taken up’ by the wealthy and childless Mrs. Duff-Scott to be the daughters she never had. A Cinderella story begins and with it a major change in their circumstances and prospects due to Mrs. Duff-Scotts’ generosity and their willingness to accept it despite their avowed desire for independence.
What held my interest despite some improbabilities and amazing coincidences was Cambridge’s development of the romances of the three young women with three very different men. I can see why people compare this to a Jane Austen novel, particularly “Pride and Prejudice” because each of the sisters insists on marrying on her own terms. During the course of their courtships issues of class, religion and financial independence are fully explored from the point of view of the woman. At the same time the sisters are apt to fall back into a certain dependence. It is left to Elizabeth’s Mr. Yelverton to chide her in this regard, “You have no consideration for your rights as a woman and a matron? – no proper pride? – no respect for your dignity, at all?” Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley rolled into one? Through the character of Mr. Yelverton Cambridge also attacks the problem of poverty and the responsibility of the beneficiaries of the increasingly industrial society toward those harmed by it.
The humor in the book, which is plentiful, comes from Cambridge’s acute commentary about class. Mrs. Duff-Scott is described as having a “majestic figure” and behaving in a “regal” manner. Her habit of leaving balls early “was one of the trivial little customs that indicated her rank.” It is at moments of humor that the author finds herself unable to stay out of the narrative and addresses the reader directly. After describing Eleanor at the ball as being like a tall lily she interjects,” I feel I ought (and for a moment was tempted) to add, only that I know no girl ever did look like a lily since the world was made, nor ever will, no what the processes of evolution may come to.”
This book is greatly enjoyable and makes some valuable social points even if it is a bit farfetched. The characters of the three feisty sisters and their singular and firmly defended approaches to life are very engaging and make this book impossible to put down. The three disparate love affairs are well drawn and keep you in a suspense that is intensified by the social mores of the time that keep men and women from revealing their true thoughts and feelings to each other. It’s not hard to see why this book and Ada Cambridge’s many other ones were very popular at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th.
This amusing and at times quietly satirical novel was first published in 1883 as a serial in the weekly journal “The Australasian”, a journal dedicated to publishing “good English literature” and boasting among its contributors George Eliot, Trollope and Hardy. The three Miss Kings, Elizabeth, Patty and Eleanor, newly `orphaned’ in their mid-twenties and left with modest incomes, have been raised largely in isolation from people of their own generation in a remote community, by their reclusive English-born parents. As middle daughter Patty says “Life is short, and there is so much for us to see and learn – all these years we have been out of it so utterly…Let’s get into the thick of it at once, and recover lost time.”
Commonsense prevails so they put aside their ambition to head straight for Europe and decide to explore the unknown closer to home, Melbourne in 1880 just before the opening of the International Exhibition. They quickly realize that their means are very modest indeed and each fantasizes about suddenly finding themselves heiresses by some stroke of fate. Little do they know! They quickly learn how to best manage their meagre resources and always keep their focus on exploring their new sphere.
Ada Cambridge, the wife of an English vicar who brought her to live in Australia, clearly understands the attraction of having some independence because it is an important strain in the narrative. The three girls staunchly protect their independence to extent of turning away help from Paul Brion, a journalist they have known most of their lives. When they do finally accept his offer to introduce them into society Patty’s ability to play a piece of obscure and difficult piano music wins them the acceptance their visibly impecunious state had hitherto denied them. They are `taken up’ by the wealthy and childless Mrs. Duff-Scott to be the daughters she never had. A Cinderella story begins and with it a major change in their circumstances and prospects due to Mrs. Duff-Scotts’ generosity and their willingness to accept it despite their avowed desire for independence.
What held my interest despite some improbabilities and amazing coincidences was Cambridge’s development of the romances of the three young women with three very different men. I can see why people compare this to a Jane Austen novel, particularly “Pride and Prejudice” because each of the sisters insists on marrying on her own terms. During the course of their courtships issues of class, religion and financial independence are fully explored from the point of view of the woman. At the same time the sisters are apt to fall back into a certain dependence. It is left to Elizabeth’s Mr. Yelverton to chide her in this regard, “You have no consideration for your rights as a woman and a matron? – no proper pride? – no respect for your dignity, at all?” Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley rolled into one? Through the character of Mr. Yelverton Cambridge also attacks the problem of poverty and the responsibility of the beneficiaries of the increasingly industrial society toward those harmed by it.
The humor in the book, which is plentiful, comes from Cambridge’s acute commentary about class. Mrs. Duff-Scott is described as having a “majestic figure” and behaving in a “regal” manner. Her habit of leaving balls early “was one of the trivial little customs that indicated her rank.” It is at moments of humor that the author finds herself unable to stay out of the narrative and addresses the reader directly. After describing Eleanor at the ball as being like a tall lily she interjects,” I feel I ought (and for a moment was tempted) to add, only that I know no girl ever did look like a lily since the world was made, nor ever will, no what the processes of evolution may come to.”
This book is greatly enjoyable and makes some valuable social points even if it is a bit farfetched. The characters of the three feisty sisters and their singular and firmly defended approaches to life are very engaging and make this book impossible to put down. The three disparate love affairs are well drawn and keep you in a suspense that is intensified by the social mores of the time that keep men and women from revealing their true thoughts and feelings to each other. It’s not hard to see why this book and Ada Cambridge’s many other ones were very popular at the end of the 19th century and into the 20th.
Read
March 22, 2018I've read few, if any, novels set in Australia. This one is set in Melbourne in the 1880s. The Miss Kings have been left orphaned. Two of the girls, Patty and Eleanor, yearn to travel to Europe, but the eldest girl - Elizabeth - is the voice of reason who thinks they should get used to living on their own in Australia before they plan further adventures. They leave their isolated home and settle in Melbourne, where they quickly realise their income, which they imagined to be a fortune, is barely enough on which to survive.
Through the son of their protector, Mr Brion, they are introduced into polite society and are taken up by Mrs Duff-Scott, who has no children of her own and attempts to matchmake for the girls. Elizabeth falls in love with Kingscote Yelverton, but the novel moves into a more exciting gear when the girls discover that they are heiresses to a great fortune - the fortune which Yelverton had believed to be his.
The romance element of the novel, and Cambridge's depiction of 'society' women, suggests the influence of Jane Austen, with added gothic elements in the form of the long-lost will and mystery surrounding the death of one of Mr Yelverton's uncle and the disappearance of the other.
The Cinderellas get their Prince Charmings (there's never a great deal of doubt about that) and there's a happy ending, although even Elizabeth - 'rich beyond the dreams of avarice' - is 'not so happy as to have nothing to wish for', for she remains in England with her husband, separated from her beloved sisters who return to Australia.
Through the son of their protector, Mr Brion, they are introduced into polite society and are taken up by Mrs Duff-Scott, who has no children of her own and attempts to matchmake for the girls. Elizabeth falls in love with Kingscote Yelverton, but the novel moves into a more exciting gear when the girls discover that they are heiresses to a great fortune - the fortune which Yelverton had believed to be his.
The romance element of the novel, and Cambridge's depiction of 'society' women, suggests the influence of Jane Austen, with added gothic elements in the form of the long-lost will and mystery surrounding the death of one of Mr Yelverton's uncle and the disappearance of the other.
The Cinderellas get their Prince Charmings (there's never a great deal of doubt about that) and there's a happy ending, although even Elizabeth - 'rich beyond the dreams of avarice' - is 'not so happy as to have nothing to wish for', for she remains in England with her husband, separated from her beloved sisters who return to Australia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2020
Gentle and sweetly entertaining story of 3 sisters navigating Melbourne society and looking for husbands in the early 1880s. It all gets a bit fairytale romance towards the end, but still lots of interesting elements (which at the time may have sparked some discussion) and an enjoyable read.
Probably closer to 3 stars (good, rather than very good), but bonus points for Melbourne setting, a chapter on the Melbourne Cup (even then more about parading around in fancy clothes - lets just ditch the cruel horseracing aspect entirely, shall we?), a female Australian author published in 1890s (born in Norfolk but here for 40 years and she then returned for her last 9 after he died, so she gets to be Aussie), and some interestingly even handed treatment of a non-church goer and criticisms of the church given she was a clerical wife.
Probably closer to 3 stars (good, rather than very good), but bonus points for Melbourne setting, a chapter on the Melbourne Cup (even then more about parading around in fancy clothes - lets just ditch the cruel horseracing aspect entirely, shall we?), a female Australian author published in 1890s (born in Norfolk but here for 40 years and she then returned for her last 9 after he died, so she gets to be Aussie), and some interestingly even handed treatment of a non-church goer and criticisms of the church given she was a clerical wife.
September 4, 2021
The Three Miss Kings is an Australian classic published in 1891, which was republished by Virago in the 1980's. It is about three grown-up sisters living in early 1880's Victoria (Australia). They live on the coast and have recently been orphaned. Elizabeth is the eldest at about 27 years old and is described as having a good figure, and is wise. Patty is the middle sister and is passionate and good-looking. Eleanor or 'Nelly' is the youngest and is a blonde beauty. When their parents die they decide they would like to see something of the world. They have lived a secluded life up on the cliffs without much interaction with the neighbourhood. Together they decide to move to Melbourne, though the reality of moving is not without it's anxieties and heartbreak. https://readableword.wordpress.com/20...
February 4, 2021
A wonderful tale featuring the lives of three sisters, their individual natures and the men they fall in love with. Even better as it was written in the 1880s in Australia and the UK, and is a true reflection of the era.
March 6, 2023
All in all, an enjoyable read. I was somewhat reluctant to take on another tome (312 pages, small print) as a recently-read tome was, to me, a dud, but the writing in this novel was quite good. The novel was originally issued in 1883 in serial form in the “Australasian”, a weekly journal with an Australian-wide circulation, ‘committed to publishing good English literature, along with local and oversea news’.
The story is about three young Australian women whose mother recently died, and their father died some time before that, so they are orphans. They move from Victoria to Melbourne from where they lived (a 2-day journey by steamer) with a small amount of inheritance money. The novel concerns the year 1880 and their stay in Melbourne and who they meet...Elizabeth the oldest is 29 years of age and meets a slightly older man, Mr. Yelverton, and a good part of the novel is about them. Patty the sister in the middle meets a reporter/writer who works for a newspaper, and the youngest sister meets a well-off young man who seems to be an airhead (I think he inherited a boatload of money and doesn’t have to work). Also in the mix is an older woman, Mrs. Duff-Scott, who is rich and childless and sort of adopts the girls.
From the back cover of the re-issued book from Virago Modern Classics:
• The three Miss Kings — Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Patty — were brought up in a remote seaside settlement in Victoria, Australia, their father a mysterious man of “preposterous eccentricity”, their late mother a dignified, accomplished woman who instilled in the girls an appreciation of “spiritual and intellectual aspirations” which compensates for their lack of worldly experience. Such virtues serve the sisters well when, on the death of their father, they begin a new life in Melbourne. Under the watchful eye of one of society’s more respectable patrons, they learn quickly about “life, and love, and trouble, and etiquette among city folks” — to emerge radiant in their succession to both marriage and gentility. First published in 1891, ‘The Three Miss Kings’ was one of Ada Cambridge’s most popular novels, a delightful story of young women’s gentrification in a colonial society still tied to the aspirations of its English forebears.
The novel tended to get a bit preachy at times, and the author could also be verbose at times, but because she had me hooked soon after the story commenced, I could overlook these minor issues. When reading the book, I was reminded of ‘Lady Audley’s Secret’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon who also published around that time period, and had her novel published in serial form, which was not uncommon in those days. ‘The Three Miss Kings’ is available for free online at the Open Library (https://openlibrary.org/ ) as well as Project Gutenberg.
Reviews:
• Most excellent and perceptive review! https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2018/...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2013/...
• https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2...
• https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...
Notes:
• Biography of Ada Cambridge (goodness, she published 18 novels and 2 memoirs and short stories and poems...): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Cam...
• Apparently there are literary prizes named after her...from https://sistersincrime.org.au/event/a... Each year the Williamstown Literary Festival is delighted to convene the Ada Cambridge Biographical Prose Prize ($500), Poetry Prize ($500), and The Young Adas ($250), which are named after one of Australia’s finest colonial writers.
The story is about three young Australian women whose mother recently died, and their father died some time before that, so they are orphans. They move from Victoria to Melbourne from where they lived (a 2-day journey by steamer) with a small amount of inheritance money. The novel concerns the year 1880 and their stay in Melbourne and who they meet...Elizabeth the oldest is 29 years of age and meets a slightly older man, Mr. Yelverton, and a good part of the novel is about them. Patty the sister in the middle meets a reporter/writer who works for a newspaper, and the youngest sister meets a well-off young man who seems to be an airhead (I think he inherited a boatload of money and doesn’t have to work). Also in the mix is an older woman, Mrs. Duff-Scott, who is rich and childless and sort of adopts the girls.
From the back cover of the re-issued book from Virago Modern Classics:
• The three Miss Kings — Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Patty — were brought up in a remote seaside settlement in Victoria, Australia, their father a mysterious man of “preposterous eccentricity”, their late mother a dignified, accomplished woman who instilled in the girls an appreciation of “spiritual and intellectual aspirations” which compensates for their lack of worldly experience. Such virtues serve the sisters well when, on the death of their father, they begin a new life in Melbourne. Under the watchful eye of one of society’s more respectable patrons, they learn quickly about “life, and love, and trouble, and etiquette among city folks” — to emerge radiant in their succession to both marriage and gentility. First published in 1891, ‘The Three Miss Kings’ was one of Ada Cambridge’s most popular novels, a delightful story of young women’s gentrification in a colonial society still tied to the aspirations of its English forebears.
The novel tended to get a bit preachy at times, and the author could also be verbose at times, but because she had me hooked soon after the story commenced, I could overlook these minor issues. When reading the book, I was reminded of ‘Lady Audley’s Secret’ by Mary Elizabeth Braddon who also published around that time period, and had her novel published in serial form, which was not uncommon in those days. ‘The Three Miss Kings’ is available for free online at the Open Library (https://openlibrary.org/ ) as well as Project Gutenberg.
Reviews:
• Most excellent and perceptive review! https://bookaroundthecorner.com/2018/...
• https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2013/...
• https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2...
• https://reading19001950.wordpress.com...
Notes:
• Biography of Ada Cambridge (goodness, she published 18 novels and 2 memoirs and short stories and poems...): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Cam...
• Apparently there are literary prizes named after her...from https://sistersincrime.org.au/event/a... Each year the Williamstown Literary Festival is delighted to convene the Ada Cambridge Biographical Prose Prize ($500), Poetry Prize ($500), and The Young Adas ($250), which are named after one of Australia’s finest colonial writers.
Want to read
December 3, 2022I learned of this book via this post: https://madamebibilophilerecommends.w...
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