FROM THE PUBLISHER

"How did a privileged Victorian matron, newly widowed and newly impoverished, manage to raise and educate her six young children and restore her family to social prominence?" "Mary Baker McQuesten's personal letters, 155 of which were carefully selected by Mary J. Anderson, tell the story. Mary Baker McQuesten chronicles her financial struggles and her expectations. The letters also reveal her forthright opinions on a broad range of topics - politics, religion, literature, social sciences, and even local gossip. We learn how Mary assessed each of her children's strengths and weaknesses and directed each of their lives for the good of the family. Thomas, the son Mary felt was most likely to succeed, became a lawyer and MPP; during his distinguished career he brought the family back to social prominence." "Mary Baker McQuesten was also president of the Women's Missionary Society. The appearance, manner, and eloquence of various ministers and politicians all come under her uninhabited scrutiny, providing lively insights into the Victorian moral and social motivations of both men and women." Readers interested in the drama of Victorian society will be fascinated by the images of the stern Presbyterian matriarch, the sacrificed female, family mental illness, the unresolved death of a husband, and the dangers of social stigma. Scholars looking for research material will find an abundance in the letters, well annotated with details of surrounding political, social and current events.

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