''Materfamilias'' (1898) is a novel by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n writer

Ada Cambridge Ada Cambridge (21 November 1844 – 19 July 1926), later known as Ada Cross, was an English-born Australian writer. She wrote more than 25 works of fiction, three volumes of poetry and two autobiographical works.Cato (1989) p. v Many of her nov ...

Story outline

The novel is a first-person narrative that follows the life of a woman, Mary Braye, from the time she is first married until she becomes a grandmother.

Critical reception

In a very brief review ''The Queenslander'' noted: "Of all phases of life that dealing with domesticity is the most difficult to portray in a manner sufficiently attractive to command interest ed attention. In this art Ada Cambridge excels, and her latest book is fully equal to anything which has yet sprung from her pen. In addition to being an attractive story, ''Materfamilias'' has the recommendation of being instructive, with an underlying. well-developed moral." ''The Sydney Mail'' opined that the author "has written us hitherto many acceptable domestic stories, but we question whether she has ever done anything before to equal her new story, ''Materfamilias''... It is an admirable study of femininity in some of its greatest and its smallest at tributes by a woman. No man could hare written it with such understanding."

Notes

The novel was serialised in ''The Evening News'' (Sydney) in 20 instalments starting on 22 June 1898.''The Evening News'', 22 June 1898, p7
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Materfamilias 1898 Australian novels

Story outline

Critical reception

See also

Notes

References