The Story of Bawn

Bawn Devereux tells her own story from Aghadoe Abbey, the Irish home she shares with her grandparents, Lord and Lady St. Leger. Childhood games with her cousin Theobald give way to a growing awareness of affection, family expectations and her place in the household. Katharine Tynan sets these memories among library fires, gardens and old family routines, while a new light railway brings trade and unfamiliar possibilities to the surrounding countryside.

The novel connects this sheltered upbringing with questions of love and social standing. When Bawn speaks to Nora about her attachment to the wealthy Richard Dawson, her concern for the other girl meets her own strong feelings for Anthony Cardew. She offers Nora a place as her maid and the reassurance of nearby companionship. Readers interested in Irish domestic fiction will find a young narrator weighing inherited standards against the emotional claims she understands through her own experience.