Jinny the Carrier

"Jinny the Carrier" by Israel Zangwill is a story set in the early 1900s, about a young woman named Jinny who becomes a carrier in the countryside of Essex. She goes against what people expect from women, tackling the difficulties of her job with resolve. She travels, by horse, to a beautiful village where she brings parcels, and at the same time, the book looks at the importance of community, traditions that have gone on for years, and the normal, everyday existences of people in rural England. Early encounters with characters such as Caleb, Martha, and the postman, Bundock, show the light-heartedness of the village, demonstrating the relationships of rural life and hinting at stories of love, responsibility, and social changes to come.