Book Description

The Laird of Norlaw is an 1859 fiction by Mrs. Oliphant, and its plot revolves around a large estate owner in Scotland. The excellent use of imagery in the book, the elevated writing style, the incredibly depicted characters, and an absorbing plot contributes to its success. Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (1828-1897) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works circle domestic realism, historical account, and supernatural stories. Excerpt from The Laird of Norlaw "A low, peaceable, fertile slope, bearing trees to its top-most height, and corn on its shoulders, with a little river running by its base, which manages, after many circuits, to wind its way into Tweed. The house, which is built low upon the hill, is two stories in front, but, owing to the unequal level, only one behind. The garden is all at the back, where the ground is sheltered, but in front, the green, natural surface of the hill descends softly to the water without any thing to break its verdure."