This novel is considered to be one of the great classic Gothic romances, falling into the same category as Rebecca and Jane Eyre. It is also the Cinderella story of a young girl from modest circumstances who realizes her dreams and also overcomes great tragedy after she marries a wealthy, powerful man.
Miranda Wells is a young farm girl filled with romantic notions that have little to do with her everyday life, and while both her parents love her, her mother, Abigail, is the one who is sympathetic to her dreams. Then one day, a letter arrives from Nicholas Van Ryn, a wealthy cousin whom they have never met, inviting her to come and stay at Dragonwick, his estate.
Once she is there, Nicholas decides that Miranda has much to learn, and he bluntly says that he will.....
