The Miller’s Bride
The Miller’s Bride is set during the mid-Victorian era, the first in a delightful saga centred around three young women finding their way in an often-strait-laced Scottish society. In this novel, Grace strikes out for independence when her family relocates to a fishing village, a move that is distasteful for her. Grace accepts an arranged marriage to a miller instead.
Unfortunately, the marriage gets off to a complicated start because Angus, her miller husband, was previously romancing the unsuitable Jessie, a beautiful barmaid. His father disapproves and threatens to allow Angus’s cousin Walter to inherit the mill should Angus not accept a suitable marriage and continue to see Jessie. Angus is honourable within the marriage, if not yet in love with his new attractive wife. Alas, Angus is set up to fail by outside interests and by Walter, who adores Jessie. The story grows intricate as clever plotting follows.
I was very impressed by the attention given to location and historical detail. Nineteenth-century Scotland and the mill town are vividly portrayed. The work of the mill, the changes as mills are purchased by entrepreneurs seeking power for textile industries are engaging elements. I was also totally immersed in this fictional community that reminded me of novels such as Cranford with its censorious characters such as gossipy sisters and parvenus such as a greedy tycoon. It is a story where lessons are learned, where characters change and right wins over wrong, as does family loyalty and genuine romantic love.
This story is much more than that of how a miller falls in love with his wife. It’s a peephole into Victorian rural life in a particular place at a particular time. There are beautifully executed descriptions that do Scotland justice. The Miller’s Bride is an enjoyable, well-plotted read.
