Project Gutenberg 2007-07-26 Public domain in the USA. 89 Ward, Humphry, Mrs. 1851 1920 Ward, Mary Augusta Arnold Ward, Mrs. Humphry Arnold, Mary Augusta Bessie Costrell Produced by Al Haines "Bessie Costrell" by Mrs. Humphry Ward is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the titular character, Bessie Costrell, and her complex relationships with her uncle John Bolderfield and her husband Isaac. The narrative delves into themes of trust, money, and moral decay within a rural community setting, highlighting the struggles of ordinary lives intertwined with personal ambitions and societal judgments. At the start of the narrative, we are introduced to John Bolderfield, an elderly laborer, who reflects on his life and impending changes following the death of his sister-in-law, Eliza. As he prepares for a significant transition, his thoughts turn to Bessie and her husband, Isaac. Their lives become intertwined with John's hoarded savings, leading to moral dilemmas as Bessie engages in reckless spending following a windfall from her late aunt. The book opens with a vivid depiction of the village and its inhabitants, establishing an atmosphere ripe for tension and drama as the repercussions of Bessie’s choices unfold in their community. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 82.2 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Villages -- England -- Fiction Poor -- Fiction PR Text Category: Novels Category: British Literature 174810 2025-07-09T09:02:39.265317 text/html 174631 2025-01-09T09:42:52.271538 text/html 131913 2025-07-09T09:02:43.703304 application/epub+zip 133763 2025-07-09T09:02:40.790357 application/epub+zip 133763 2025-07-09T09:02:39.809384 application/epub+zip 253595 2025-07-09T09:02:45.851310 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 238879 2025-07-09T09:02:43.121384 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 210027 2022-09-10T11:30:49.952550 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 153313 2025-07-09T09:02:39.010350 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 153199 2021-01-02T20:45:04 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18163 2025-07-09T09:02:45.968313 application/rdf+xml 13048 2025-07-09T09:02:40.277302 image/jpeg 3611 2025-07-09T09:02:40.042323 image/jpeg 59860 2021-01-02T20:45:04 application/octet-stream application/zip 130096 2025-07-09T09:02:39.279311 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia