George MacDonald
3) Lilith
Subtitled, a little oddly, “A Romance,” which assuredly it is not, eight distinct manuscript versions of Lilith exist, chronicling the book’s fitful development...
5) Phantastes
George MacDonald’s first major fiction work, in MacDonald’s words “a sort of fairy tale for grown people,” Phantastes was published in 1858. This unusual fantasy, subtitled a “faerie romance,” is...
9) Sir Gibbie
One of the true high marks in George MacDonald’s literary career was reached with the publication in 1879 of Sir Gibbie. Every MacDonald reader has his or her favorite, but it is safe to...
One woman rebels against society’s strictures to live a life of compassion in this thought-provoking Victorian novel by the author of Robert Falconer.
This 1882 story of a dysfunctional family features another of MacDonald’s memorable female protagonists. Reminiscent of Mary St. John of Robert Falconer, Hester Raymount chooses a single life of ministry among London’s downtrodden (whose character and work...The fictional memoirs of Victorian-era housewife. Third in the Marshmallows Trilogy following Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood and The Seaboard Parish.
The Vicar’s Daughter, the 1872 sequel to The Seaboard Parish, follows the early married life of one of Harry Walton’s (fictional narrator of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood) daughters. This third book in the Marshmallows...This 1877 sequel to Malcolm begins where the first volume of the doublet left off, at Lossie House in Cullen’s fictionalized Portlossie. Soon thereafter Malcolm travels to London to rescue Florimel from the harmful influences of duplicitous friends who do not have her best...
13) Malcolm
This towering 1875 novel, set in the Scottish fishing village of Cullen, is considered by many as George MacDonald’s fictional masterwork. The intricate tale is more true to place than any of MacDonald’s books. As Malcolm is drawn into the web of secrets surrounding...
MacDonald’s second realistic novel written in the first person by a fictional female narrator, The Flight of the Shadow feels somber and ominous almost from its opening pages. It is thus linked with The Portent from early in MacDonald’s career,...
George MacDonald was one of the foremost fantasy writers of the 19th century and influenced just about every writer that came after him. He was a mentor of Lewis Carroll, a friend of Mark Twain's, and a man who helped shape the works of authors like Tolkien.
If our future is not secured and satisfied by God then we are going to be excessively anxious. This results either in paralyzing fear or in self-managed, greedy control. We end up thinking about ourselves, our future, our problems and our potential, and that keeps us from loving.
In other words, hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love. That's because we just let God take care of us and aren't preoccupied with having to work
...A triumphant quest for the truth. First in the Wingfold Trilogy from the 19th-century Scottish author of Paul Faber Surgeon and There and Back.
The character of Thomas Wingfold is introduced in this preeminent of George MacDonald’s English novels, a young curate suddenly brought face-to-face with the hypocrisy of having sought the pulpit as a profession rather than a spiritual calling. Wingfold’s prayerful
A masterful and timeless novel from the renowned Scottish author—the work that established his place in the pantheon of British literature.
Released in 1865 as the second of his major Scottish novels, many consider Alec Forbes of Howglen George MacDonald’s most uniformly cohesive work of fiction. Intensely Scottish in flavor, like its predecessor David Elginbrod, the thick Doric dialect
19) The Elect Lady
A novel on the nature of goodness and the concept of the true church from the 19th-century Scottish author of Home Again.
Although one of MacDonald’s lesser-known books, The Elect Lady, published in 1888, stands out for the memorable relationship of godliness, trust, honesty, and humility between three children—Andrew and Sandy Ingram and their friend Dawtie—whose growth into adulthood MacDonald...20) Mary Marston
A novel of one woman who transcends society’s concerns to stay true to her convictions—from the Victorian-era author of Malcolm.
One of MacDonald’s lengthy and powerful, but not widely studied, novels, Mary Marston is the only book in the MacDonald corpus with a woman featured in the title role. As one of MacDonald’s many strong and memorable leading ladies, Mary exemplifies a life of dedication...