'Human nature may be easy to see through, but it is very hard to understand.'The ageing Catherine Vernon, jilted in her youth, has risen to power in a man's world as head of the family bank. She thinks she sees through everyone and rules over a family of dependents with knowing cynicism. But there are two people in Redborough who resist her. One is Hester, a young relationwith a personality as strong as Catherine's, and as determined to find a role for herself. The other is Edward, Catherine's favourite, whom she treats like a son. Conflict between young and old is inevitable, and in its depiction of the complex relationships that develop between the three principalcharacters, Publishing October 2003 (exact date?)Margaret Oliphant is one of the great Victorian novelists, and this edition establishes her rediscovered importance. | Hester by Margaret Oliphant, Paperback | Indigo Chapters