| Synopsis: |
Set in a small and quaint New England town in the late nineteenth century, Bylow Hill tells of the complex web of relationships between a number of inhabitants. The focus is on two families in particularthe Byingtons and the Winslows. The young people of these families, including Ruth and Leonard Byington and Arthur and Godfrey Winslow, must all face the realities of love, loyalty, and loss. Isabel Morrow, a winsome maiden, is pursued by both Leonard and Arthur and eventually marries the latter, an up-and-coming clergyman. The whole town believes their life must be flawless, but Isabels contentment and devotion are seriously challenged when Arthurs mental state dangerously falters. George W. Cable strikes a personal chord with his touching writing style. Bylow Hill artfully expresses the impermanence of happiness and seeming perfection. Tragedy and misfortune lurk even below majestic elms and in harmonious homes, next to lovely frozen rivers and behind picturesque New England charm. |