With vivid depictions and biting satires of Scottish peasant life, this lively and entertaining novel skillfully discusses and dissects class issues, British imperialism, and war. Also included are three examples of Hamilton’s nonfiction, which, combined with this tale, show that despite her ostensibly simple plot and style, she brings together the political and social concerns of the day. Writing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Elizabeth Hamilton produced fiction, satire, comical sketches, philosophical essays, historical biography, theological treatises, and essays on educational theory, and this narrative is her best known work.