Very interesting stories pairing some things I expect from Victorian novels with topics that seem more unique. The village of Carlingford already feels alive after these few pages and I liked the perspectives from which the events are portrayed.
The two shorter stories have intruiging concepts but quite dissapointing endings that seem a bit disconnected from the core conflict, however the title novella follows through all the way, maybe getting a bit sentimental near the ending, but beeing very effective anyhow. Having the topic of caring for an addicted relative presented so frankly and as the focus of the story felt fresh for a Victorian novel and while I think Oliphant's writing style might not work for me in a very long book, in this short work it was both charming and evocative.