Project Gutenberg
2025-07-26
Public domain in the USA.
463
McKeever, Harriet B. (Harriet Burn)
1807
1886
M'Keever, Harriet B.
Woodcliff
$aPhiladelphia :$bLindsay & Blakiston, $c1864.
Al Haines
"Woodcliff" by Harriet B. McKeever is a novel written in the mid-19th century. It follows Madeline Hamilton, a spirited young heiress whose pride and impulses are challenged by the quiet strength and integrity of Roland Bruce, a poor boy of Scottish stock. Through seaside adventures, schoolroom trials, and domestic clashes, the story contrasts social rank with true nobility, emphasizing self-discipline, compassion, and Christian character. The opening of the novel introduces Madeline on the beach, where she defends poor children and befriends Roland after he stands up to two fashionable bullies, then later risks himself to stop her runaway horse and refuses payment. At home, her indulgent father and status-conscious aunt foster her willfulness until a strict governess briefly steadies her, only to be undone by Madeline’s spoiled cousin and finally resign. Sent to a local day school, Madeline bristles under firm discipline, but—prodded by Roland—humbles herself, applies to her studies, and publicly exposes a classmate who stole Roland’s exam, leading to his merited promotion. A vivid storm scene frames Roland’s tale of martyred Scottish ancestors, deepening the book’s moral and religious tone. Madeline then visits the modest Bruce cottage, offers practical help, and secures sewing work for Roland’s widowed mother, while her own French governess and pampered lap-dog provide comic contrast. These chapters set the arc of Madeline’s gradual moral schooling—away from vanity and toward courage, kindness, and true refinement. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
https://archive.org/details/woodcliff00mckeiala
20250706104235mckeever
1864
US
Reading ease score: 76.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
en
Christian life -- Fiction
Love stories
New England -- Fiction
Conduct of life -- Fiction
Bildungsromans
PS
Text
Category: Children & Young Adult Reading
Category: Novels
Category: American Literature
871940
2025-07-30T08:45:02.845508
text/html
851914
2025-07-26T14:41:42
text/html
496151
2025-07-30T08:45:12.505438
application/epub+zip
508897
2025-07-30T08:45:04.248500
application/epub+zip
399785
2025-07-30T08:45:03.624523
application/epub+zip
730494
2025-07-30T08:45:18.585450
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
711314
2025-07-30T08:45:11.838439
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
809341
2025-07-30T08:44:59.744532
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
789667
2025-07-26T14:41:42
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
14430
2025-07-30T08:45:18.734399
application/rdf+xml
4905
2025-07-30T08:45:03.814497
image/jpeg
1306
2025-07-30T08:45:03.716490
image/jpeg
447200
2025-07-30T08:45:02.927494
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