{"product_id":"2026200007641-secondhand-the-hand-of-ethelberta-a-comedy-in-chapters","title":"The Hand Of Ethelberta: A Comedy In Chapters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good                          \u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good         ,          price clipped\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: No markings\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA witty and unconventional Victorian comedy of manners, The Hand of Ethelberta chronicles the bold social ascent of Ethelberta Petherwin, a butler's daughter turned poet and widow of a gentleman, as she navigates the treacherous waters of class, ambition, and marriage in nineteenth-century England. Hardy presents a sharp-tongued heroine who must simultaneously conceal her humble origins from high society while managing the well-meaning interference of her large working-class family. The novel unfolds with ironic humor and keen social observation, illustrating the absurdities and hypocrisies of a rigid class system through Ethelberta's increasingly audacious schemes to secure her future. Unlike Hardy's more tragic works, this narrative sustains a light, satirical tone that skewers Victorian pretension with elegant precision, making it a uniquely playful entry in his body of work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48887877304539,"sku":"2026200007641-SECONDHAND","price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/0566e238-f7af-4d8a-b315-043092d97762.png?v=1781747465","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200007641-secondhand-the-hand-of-ethelberta-a-comedy-in-chapters","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}