Cover of The Story of a Governess by Margaret Oliphant Audiobook The Story of a Governess
Audiobook · Sovereign

The Story of a Governess

Author
Margaret Oliphant
Read by
Eloise Fairfax
Language
English
Length
13 hours 57 minutes
ISBN
9781836102939
Published
20 March 2026
Imprint
Sovereign
  • governess life
  • female independence
  • social class
  • coming of age
  • domestic service
  • optimism and resilience
  • Victorian society
  • family dynamics
  • personal growth
  • women’s roles

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Description

The Story of a Governess by Margaret Oliphant follows Janet Summerhayes, a hopeful young woman leaving her sheltered life to become a governess. Entering an unfamiliar household, she faces class differences, expectations, and personal challenges. With optimism and wit, Janet navigates her new role, revealing the trials and quiet triumphs of independence in a society shaped by rigid social norms.

Author

Margaret Oliphant (1828–1897) was a Scottish novelist who wrote as if the rent depended on it — because it often did. Widowed young, she supported a large household with novels, biographies, reviews, and stories of the seen and unseen, becoming one of the Victorian age's most tireless professionals. Domestic realism, historical fiction, and ghostly tales all came from the same steady pen.

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