Oxford World's Classics: Ruth

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'Not a book for young people, unless read with somebody older' was one view expressed on the publication of Ruth . Elizabeth Gaskell's second novel deals explicitly with the issue of unmarried motherhood. Ruth Hilton, an orphan and dressmaker's assistant, is seduced and heartlessly deserted by the wealthy Henry Bellingham. Gaskell tells the story of Ruth's love for her child; her new life in the home of Thurston Benson, a dissenting minister; the misery caused by the tyrannical Mr Bradshaw, in whose house she finds employment as a governess; and the cruel twist of fate that confronts her again with her worthless lover, with appalling consequences. A cause célèbre in its day, Ruth contributed substantially to its author's growing reputation.