Ruth

The book is a ,social novel, dealing with Victorian views about sin and illegitimacy. It is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a 'fallen woman', a type of person normally outcast from respectable society.

The title of the novel refers to the main character Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who is seduced and then abandoned by gentleman Henry Bellingham. The novel tells the story of Ruth, pregnant and alone, as she struggles to protect her child from the social stigma of illegitimacy