Only a girl's love

"Only a Girl's Love" by Charles Garvice is a novel likely written in the late 19th century. The story centers around a young girl named Stella, who seeks refuge with her uncle, James Etheridge, after running away from a strict and unhappy school in Florence. As Stella integrates into her uncle's world, the novel hints at her struggles and a potentially deepening relationship with James, while introducing themes of love, family, and personal fulfillment. The opening of the novel paints a serene picture of early summer in the English countryside, contrasting the tranquility of nature with Stella's tumultuous past. As James Etheridge, a painter, quietly works in his cottage, Stella unexpectedly arrives, filled with emotion and a longing for warmth and connection following her father's death. Their ensuing conversation reveals Stella’s personal hardships and her uncle's deep care for her well-being. The chapter ends with hints of romantic tension as Stella finds herself drawn to the nearby Wyndward Hall, home to the enigmatic Leycester Wyndward, setting the stage for deeper interactions and developments as the story progresses. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Garvice was a prolific British writer of over 150 romance novels, who also used the female pseudonym Caroline Hart. He was a popular author in the UK, the United States and translated around the world. He was ‘the most successful novelist in England’, according to Arnold Bennett in 1910. He published novels selling over seven million copies worldwide by 1914, and since 1913 he was selling 1.75 million books annually, a pace which he maintained at least until his death. Despite his enormous success, he was poorly received by literary critics, and is almost forgotten today.