Salem Chapel

Margaret Oliphant set this novel in Carlingford, the fictional English town that anchors her celebrated Chronicles, and built it around Arthur Vincent, a young and ambitious Dissenting minister. Fresh from college and proud of his learning, Vincent arrives expecting to raise the intellectual tone of his Nonconformist congregation, only to find himself hemmed in by the small tradespeople who fill the pews and judge his every move. Oliphant threads the comedy of chapel politics through a darker sensation plot involving his sister Susan, a secretive woman, and a dangerous seducer, drawing the earnest clergyman toward scandal and near tragedy. The result is a sharp, sympathetic study of religious life, class, and thwarted ambition. This free PDF and EPUB edition brings one of the Carlingford Chronicles to new readers.