Miss Marjoribanks is an 1866 novel by Margaret Oliphant, an author I'd never heard of before reading this book. It's part of her Chronicles of Carlingford series. So far it's never been adapted.
Miss Lucilla Marjoribanks (pronounced "Marchbanks", illogical though it sounds) is determined to improve Carlingford society. So she starts hosting parties, and in the process causes a great deal of trouble for herself and other people.
In some ways this book reminds me of Cranford or Wives and Daughters. In other ways it's reminiscent of Emma. The first two-thirds are the often-humourous account of Lucilla's parties and her attempts to be a comfort to her father. The last third abruptly jumps ten years into the future, has a more serious tone, and describes Lucilla's interest in an election.
Personally I found the first part the more interesting. It was great fun to see how Lucilla overcame every possible problem, while being completely oblivious to all the other problems her actions were causing. The last part was frankly disorientating. Suddenly the reader is confronted with a time skip and introduced to a completely new character and subplot. It's as if the author ran out of ideas so she decided to change genre. I skimmed most of the last few chapters.
By far the weakest part is the implausible coincidence of Tom arriving home for the first time in years, at the very moment when Lucilla is about to be proposed to. That's one of the most contrived things I've read all year.
Overall, though, Miss Marjoribanks is an interesting and sadly-overlooked novel by a sadly-overlooked author. It's a pity no one has made an adaptation of it yet. If done well it would make a great period drama.
Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.
Rating: 6/10.
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