Historical Fiction

Robert Elsmere

by

  • 1888 first published
  • 🎧 28 h 38 min free audiobook
Listen freeFind in a library

Mary Augusta Ward's Robert Elsmere (1888) is a historical fiction novel.

A free LibriVox audiobook (28 h 38 min) is available.

About Robert Elsmere

Essentially the book covers the life of Robert Elsmere, a boyishly intellectual clergyman. The first part covers his meeting with and eventual marriage to Catherine Leyburn. After a period as a country vicar, Robert’s meetings with the local squire, an intellectual atheist, lead to his having a crisis of faith. The pair move to London where Robert works with the poor and uneducated. The lives of the people closely associated with the pair are also covered. The book is set against the late Victorian world and its reactions to Darwinism, Unitarianism and the rise of secularism and modernism. At the time, it was a runaway best seller and its attack on orthodox Christianity was fiercely debated by all, including Gladstone. - Summary by Simon Evers
Description from LibriVox

Free audiobook

Robert Elsmere — LibriVox recording, 28 h 38 min in 51 sections.

Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Quick answers

Who wrote Robert Elsmere?

Robert Elsmere was written by Mary Augusta Ward and first published in 1888.

What genre is Robert Elsmere?

It is usually shelved as Historical Fiction.

Is there a free audiobook of Robert Elsmere?

Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 28 h 38 min.

What books are similar to Robert Elsmere?

Readers who like it often enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula and Treasure Island.

More by Mary Augusta Ward

All books →

Books like Robert Elsmere