The extensive output of the best-selling writer, Charlotte M. Yonge, has not attracted as much scholarly attention as it merits or received the wholesale reappraisal accorded to other successful Victorian women novelists. This volume of ten essays, developed from papers given at a conference held in Oxford on the centenary of her death, goes a long way to fill this gap. Useful topics include the subtlety of Yonge's advocacy for the Anglicanism of the Oxford Movement (chapters by Barbara Dennis and Maria Poggi Johnson), explorations both of specific novels (Wendy Forrester on The Heir of Redclyffe and Dynevor Terrace ) and of themes of continuity and development (Amy de Gruchy), while Cecilia Bass investigates the wide-ranging reactions of contemporary critics and Clemence Schultze discovers the embedded nature of the Classics throughout Yonge's writings. In ‘Embodying the Domestic Fiction', Barbara J. Dunlap exposes Yonge's unexpected skill of creating the physical presence of her characters in The Heir, The Daisy Chain and The Pillars of the House.

It is perhaps simpler to promote women writers to whom an intriguing label such as ‘Sensation', ‘New Woman' or Radical can be attached than one known for her religious principles. Elaine Showalter in Literature of Her Own wrongly portrayed Yonge as ‘good, grey' and unable to step literally or imaginatively outside the domestic barriers of her family; this encouraged a mistaken assumption that Charlotte Yonge was a small-minded conservative whose ideas were inimical to the progress and welfare of women. The importance of Characters and Scenes lies in its ability to counteract this false representation with examples of the many ways whereby Yonge tackled contemporary issues and adapted her thinking as the century progressed. Julia Courtney's essay examines how Yonge, through her long and influential editorship of the Monthly Packet (1851-94), fostered the talents of countless women and not just as writers. This dovetails neatly with an earlier chapter: June Sturrock in ‘Women's Work, Money and the Everyday – the Novels of the 1870s' demonstrates Yonge's significant involvement in debates about how women should use their time and energies.

While scholars will find much to appreciate in these essays, the volume aims also to appeal to the wider community of Yonge readers. Both groups will find the revised charts of the genealogies of her large fictional families invaluable for navigating the interlinked stories.

Dr Susan Walton, University of Hull