The Curate in Charge

"The Curate in Charge" by Mrs. Oliphant is a novel that paints a picture of 19th-century English life, where the quiet existence of Reverend Cecil St. John, the new curate of Brentburn, gets turned upside down when his daughters arrive after their mother's death and his sudden marriage to their governess. Set against the backdrop of a rural parish, the story looks at the themes of calmness and family, watching how these characters deal with love, loss, and societal expectations as their lives become connected and complex. St. John, a man who prefers peace and quiet, finds his passivity challenged as he and his daughters work through unfamiliar circumstances.