Wives and Daughters – Elizabeth Gaskell

"I think it is a remarkably pleasant thing to have a father who is not too wise."

Molly Gibson, the daughter of a country doctor, finds her quiet life disrupted when her father remarries a shallow and snobbish widow. Molly must navigate her new stepmother's schemes and her complex relationship with her charming but troubled stepsister, Cynthia. The novel explores the social intricacies of a provincial town and Molly's growth into adulthood.

Gaskell's final, unfinished novel is often considered her masterpiece. It is a nuanced, ironic, and affectionate comedy of manners that rivals Jane Austen in its psychological insight and social observation.