Marcella Grace

by Rosa Mulholland

This late 19th century novel was one of the first to deal with crime and punishment in Ireland, as well as a host of other issues from a feminist as well as socially progressive point of view. Long out of print, Professor Murphy makes the case for its inclusion in the canon of Irish literature via a superbly written Introduction and an extensive series of notes and text discussions. Full text reproduced.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1886

About the author

Rosa Mulholland (also known as Lady Gilbert, 1841 – 1921) was an Irish novelist, poet and playwright.

She was born in Belfast, the daughter of Dr. Joseph Stevenson Mulholland of Newry. She spent some years in a remote mountainous part of the West of Ireland after the death of her father.

Her first novel was Dumana (1864), under the pen-name Ruth Murray. She originally wished to become a painter, but in her early literary life she received much help and encouragement from Charles Dickens, who highly valued her work as a writer and persuaded her to continue.

Reviews

[Pamela Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Mulholland's stridently political books which concerns Irish politics of the time. Mulholland is devoted to Ireland and all its aspects - history, politics, class system. She clearly knew she was documenting an Ireland that was fast disappearing, was concerned about the immigration, foreign influence and poverty. For all of that she is still writing fast paced, Victorian novels about women and their development at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Hers, being Irish, I think is a rather unusual perspective.
I am doing my best to read as much of her as is available without breaking the bank. Most of the used copies of her books are available in Britain only and the postage is a killer. Therefore my progress as I find affordable copies is slow. (Oddly, not much is available online yet.)
You can read more about some of her other books and her on my blog posts at: https://pams-pictorama.com/2025/06/29... or an earlier one: https://pams-pictorama.com/2025/05/18... Or search Pams-Pictorama.com for other book reviews of early women writers.

[Susie Gerow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Rosa Mulholland. This book was enjoyable.