One Poor Scruple

by Josephine Mary Ward, Bernard Bergonzi (Introduction)

Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.) Reprinted in 2019 with the help of original edition published long back [1899]. This book is printed in black & white, sewing binding for longer life, Printed on high quality Paper, re-sized as per Current standards, professionally processed without changing its contents. As these are old books, we processed each page manually and make them readable but in some cases some pages which are blur or missing or black spots. If it is multi volume set, then it is only single volume, if you wish to order a specific or all the volumes you may contact us. We expect that you will understand our compulsion in these books. We found this book important for the readers who want to know more about our old treasure so we brought it back to the shelves. Hope you will like it and give your comments and suggestions. - eng, Pages 430. EXTRA 10 DAYS APART FROM THE NORMAL SHIPPING PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED FOR LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. COMPLETE LEATHER WILL COST YOU EXTRA US$ 25 APART FROM THE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS. {FOLIO EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE.}

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

Reviews

[Elizabeth]

On The Literary Life podcast, I heard Jason Baxter say this: "You read a book the first time to see if it's worth reading, the second time to see what it was about, and the third time is when you read it for real."

My expectation when I started this novel was 'Yes! This book is worth reading.' For the next 275 pages, I thought: "Oh no! I don't know if this book is worth reading." For the last 75 pages, I thought: "Okay, this book is worth reading."

So I've met Jason Baxter's first level. Now I need to go back and re-read it to figure out what the book's about. I think being Protestant made this book harder to 'get' on a first read. The central conflict has to do with a particularly Catholic moral quandary that is even harder for a postmodern person to understand. (I'm not sure how that dilemma would hit a postmodern Catholic person; I'd love to know.) For that and for several other reasons, it was an odd reading experience, sometimes even offputting. The ending, though, has real emotional weight and was beautifully written. I really do think that a re-read of this book would put it in a new light for me personally.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my favourite read of 2024, this book is, at times, soul-achingly beautiful with characters that felt so real and I cared for deeply. Reading this book felt as if Elizabeth von Arnim or Elizabeth Gaskell had written Brideshead Revisited.

Madge, a young widow, is the central character as well as her husband's sister Mary, their paternal cousin Hilda and maternal cousin Marmaduke. (I had to draft a bit of a family tree when I started reading because at first it was hard to parse out the relationships between all the different key players!) The novel opens with Madge deciding to make a visit to her in-laws estate at Skipton-le-grange to try to repair a relationship that has been tense since her marriage and non-existent since the death of her husband and infant daughter.

At the heart of this story is a group of young adults coming of age and grappling with the desires of the human will versus the divine will. The characters' faith, or lack there of, becomes central to the choices they make, in a way that felt very unique among other classics that I have read. As Catholics, living in a majority Anglican society, their beliefs are often misunderstood or looked down upon by other characters. As a result the impact and influences of friendships, both good and bad, becomes another key element to the plot.

I have a hard time putting into words just how much I enjoyed this book, and I feel like I will need a reread sooner rather than later to be able to fully appreciate it.

[Lucy’s reading corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this a while ago, but never reviewed it! I loved it. Especially the second half. It can be kind of confusing to get into all of those characters, but since I read it as part of a Literature course, I understood all of it.
Such a deep, rich novel with such beautiful Catholic symbolism and values!

And sweet Marmaduke, I love him.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book set in England in the late 1800s. Faith was a character in itself and present throughout the story. The glimpse into the public's view of the Catholic faith at that time was eye-opening. The struggle of the characters who practice the faith to be in the world and to remain faithful was very real and compelling.

[Laura Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aug 2025: (Firstly how did I manage to read this at the exact same time of year) Again I say to you this is so wonderfully written. The cadence of the paragraphs is unique; multiple times I would read a paragraph, get near the end of it and catch my breath because I expected the flow of it to end with that sentence but instead the next sentence actually carried it on (?? idk if that even makes sense to me). Anyway really subtle character studies and insights into the multiple ways of seeing the world at the turn of the century. Attention to subjective experience, within an objective reality.

Aug 2024: I know Virginia Woolf says you should wait a while before reviewing a book but I can't wait, because this was wonderful and I wish these books were what I was able to read in high school. This one is encouraging even in its darkness. It is like if Henry James was a based woman and wrote so more people could follow along. Profound and simple at the same time.

[Erin! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of Jane Austen will likely adore this book as much as I did. It has flawed characters, memorable settings, and a fun, entertaining story to tie it all together. I did a presentation on One Poor Scruple and learned so much about Josephine Ward, Catholic writing, and good literature in the process. I recommend this book to anyone who can find it!