Lena Rivers

his romantic saga, set before the Civil War, follows the ill-omened, orphaned 'Lena. Her parents married secretly; her father abandoned her mother before her fatal birth. She's forced from her loving, though impoverished, childhood home with her grandparents in rural Massachusetts, and must reside in Kentucky as a begrudged poor relation with her weak, henpecked uncle; his haughty, wealthy wife; and their spoiled children. 

By mid-novel, the plot becomes very predictable: Of course, 'Lena grows up to be beautiful and accomplished. And, of course, many pitfalls and misunderstandings -- some deliberately fostered by her proud, plotting aunt and other spiteful characters -- lie between 'Lena and true love. 

As in many romantic novels of the period, a significant part of the story hinges on the society's opinion of proper behavior for women.