Liliecrona's Home by Selma Lagerlöf is a captivating novel that explores themes of family, love, and redemption. The story follows the lives of the Liliecrona family as they navigate challenges and conflicts within their small Swedish village.
The characters in the novel are richly drawn and complex, each struggling with their own inner demons and desires. From the kind-hearted patriarch Olof to the rebellious and impulsive daughter Ebba, Lagerlöf creates a vivid portrait of a family bound together by love and loyalty.
The setting of the novel is beautifully rendered, with Lagerlöf's lyrical descriptions bringing the quaint village of Liliecrona's Home to life. The reader is transported to a world of rolling hills, lush forests, and sparkling lakes, where the beauty of nature serves as a backdrop to the drama unfolding within the Liliecrona household.
At its core, Liliecrona's Home is a story about forgiveness and redemption. As the family grapples with past traumas and betrayals, they must confront their own shortcomings and learn to find peace and healing in the face of adversity.
Overall, Liliecrona's Home is a compelling and poignant novel that will resonate with readers who appreciate heartfelt storytelling and rich character development. Selma Lagerlöf's luminous prose and keen insight into human nature make this a timeless classic that is sure to endure for generations to come.
Book Description:
Liliecrona's Home was published in Sweden 1911 and translated into English by Anna Barwell and published in London 1913. The story is set in the same surroundings in the district of Värmland, which Lagerlöf knew so well, and used in many of her books. At the bottom of the dried out Svartsjö lake (Black Lake) there lies the Lövdala Parsonage with its stables and outhouses. There resides the goodhearted, widowed, Pastor Lyselius and his beautiful daughter. Here one day, arrives his new wife, who turns out to be a wicked stepmother. She tempts with her cooking and other allurements, but soon shows her real self. She torments her servants and especially the parson's daughter, mamsell Maia Lisa. We follow mamsell Maia Lisa through torments and sufferings where she gets ever new and harder burdens to carry on her weak shoulders. But by her side in all weathers stands the cleareyed Little Maid, never afraid to say what she thinks or to defend justice. It is hard times when the stepmother is allowed to rule at Lövdala. Even the Parson abandons his nice personality and becomes a marionette who turns against those who he most loves. But changes will come in the end.
