Book
Dawn
First published 1884
At Bratham Abbey, the Caresfoot family’s decaying fortunes and fierce pride turn marriage into an instrument of inheritance. Philip Caresfoot is drawn between duty, ambition and his love for Angela, while his cousin George and other relatives manipulate engagements, secrets and money to control the estate.
Haggard’s debut is a Victorian family saga rather than an expedition romance. It examines property, legitimacy, coercive marriage and the damage caused when family loyalty is subordinated to social position, moving through melodrama, separation and eventual moral reckoning.
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