The Three Brothers

Mrs. Oliphant's The Three Brothers is a Victorian family novel in which inheritance, ambition, work, and social rank shape the destinies of a household under strain. When Mr. Renton dies, his confused final words hint at a grave decision and a burden placed especially on Ben, setting the stage for the reading of a will that may alter everything. As the brothers move into adulthood, Frank's uneasy encounter with the wealthy Rich family exposes sharp class divisions, while Laurie's willingness to work with his hands unsettles conventional ideas of gentility. Against this backdrop of domestic tension and social observation, the novel follows shifting fortunes, emotional loyalties, and the consequences of personal choice. Its closing movement brings a mix of affection and uncertainty as the family weighs its future, Frank's career prospects brighten, and Mary is drawn into a final, secretive emotional crisis that suggests life is about to change irrevocably. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.