{"product_id":"2026100009321-secondhand-a-simple-story","title":"A Simple Story","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1791, A Simple Story stands as one of the most psychologically complex novels of the late eighteenth century, chronicling the turbulent life of the spirited and headstrong Miss Milner, a young Catholic ward who falls passionately in love with her guardian, the austere and conflicted Mr. Dorriforth — a Roman Catholic priest. Elizabeth Inchbald constructs a narrative of devastating emotional tension, as forbidden desire, religious duty, and social constraint collide in a story that unfolds across two generations, each haunted by the sins and sacrifices of the last.\n\nInchbald's prose is remarkable for its restraint and irony, wielding understatement with surgical precision to illuminate the interior lives of characters navigating a rigidly patriarchal society. As a celebrated actress and playwright before she turned novelist, she brings an acute dramatic sensibility to the page, crafting scenes of confrontation and longing that feel as immediate and charged as theatre. This Oxford University Press edition, edited with an introduction by J. M. S. Tompkins, offers scholarly context that deepens appreciation for a work long championed by feminist critics and admirers of Jane Austen alike — leaving the reader to wonder how much of Miss Milner's fate was truly inevitable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49216193593563,"sku":"2026100009321-SECONDHAND","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/fe93741b-3d54-435a-a4c5-4135b78695ae.png?v=1788405008","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100009321-secondhand-a-simple-story","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}