Half Brothers

"Half Brothers" by Hesba Stretton is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around Sophy Goldsmith, who finds herself in a foreign land, grappling with fear and loneliness as she awaits the return of her husband, Sidney. Their tumultuous relationship sets the stage for a narrative filled with themes of love, abandonment, and the complexities of social status. The opening of the novel introduces us to Sophy, who is deeply anxious as she waits for Sidney to come back to her in Austria. She reflects on their secret marriage and the quarrels that led to his sudden departure, expressing her longing for companionship and her growing fear of being alone as she prepares to give birth. As Sophy's race against time unfolds, we learn of her desire for Sidney's return and her tumultuous emotions that reveal the strain in their relationship. The narrative follows her troubled thoughts and the consequences of her decision to elope, foreshadowing the challenges they both face. The stage is set for not just a story of personal strife, but also a broader examination of love, responsibility, and the question of whether one can truly escape their past. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Hesba Stretton was the pseudonym of Sarah Smith, an evangelical English author of religious books for children. These were highly popular. By the late 19th century Jessica's First Prayer had sold a million and a half copies – ten times more than Alice in Wonderland. She concocted "Hesba Stretton" from the initials of herself and four surviving siblings, along with the name of a Shropshire village she visited, All Stretton, where her sister Anne owned a house, Caradoc Lodge.