Six Girls: A Home Story

In Short

This novel follows the Dering sisters as they grapple with their father’s impending bankruptcy. Through five years of struggle, the girls abandon their youthful vanity and learn the value of industry, mutual support, and resilience. While the plot touches on the dramatic—mysterious illnesses, broken engagements, and sudden departures—the book is fundamentally a study of character and sisterhood. Its endurance lies in the warm, realistic depiction of young women striving to maintain their dignity and their bond while their world undergoes an irrevocable, and often difficult, transformation.

The Story

The Dering family lives in a state of grace until Mr. Dering’s business begins to fail. The eldest daughter, Beatrice, attempts to lead with poise, while the beautiful and headstrong Ernestine struggles against the onset of poverty. Olive, the most ambitious and serious of the sisters, discovers her father’s secret financial ruin and begins to take on the weight of their collective survival, even as she harbors her own quiet dreams of pursuing art. The family’s comfortable life is stripped away, forcing them to adopt a lifestyle of rigid economy.

The central crisis intensifies when Ernestine disappears, leading to a long, agonizing period of uncertainty and grief for the family. Her eventual return is not a return to the status quo; she arrives broken and hollowed by a mysterious suffering that the community whispers is the result of a failed love affair. As the family cares for their ailing sister, the remaining girls must reconcile their individual desires with the practical needs of the household. Olive, in particular, finds her path to artistic success paved with both personal sacrifice and professional growth.

The narrative spans five years, tracing the maturation of the sisters. Kittie and Kat, the younger twins, grow out of their mischievous childhood and into their own independent lives, while Beatrice anchors the home. Olive’s artistic talent eventually brings her the opportunity to study and find success, but her focus is challenged by the arrival of a suitor, Roger, whom she had previously pushed away to protect her career. The book concludes with the sisters gathered together again, now transformed by their experiences. Through the return of health, the rekindling of lost connections, and the achievement of long-held ambitions, the girls move toward a future where their early disappointments have been replaced by a mature, hard-won happiness.

How It Unfolds

The shadow of loss The sisters occupy a world of sunshine and ease until they learn that their father’s business is failing. They are forced to confront the prospect of poverty, with each girl reacting according to her own temperament—some with resentment, others with a burgeoning sense of duty.

The weight of a secret Olive discovers the true extent of her father’s financial peril and the cold indifference of his creditor, Mr. Congreve. Her decision to shoulder this secret creates a bridge of intimacy between her and her father, marking the end of her childhood.

The sudden absence The family is shattered when Ernestine vanishes, leaving them to navigate a period of profound fear and uncertainty. Her eventual return as an invalid marks a major shift in the family’s daily rhythm as they dedicate their lives to her recovery.

The bloom of maturity As years pass, the sisters pursue their respective paths: Olive toward her art and the twins toward their own romantic and personal revelations. The return of old acquaintances and the resolution of long-standing tensions bring the family back to a state of equilibrium.

The final gathering The story culminates in a scene of reconciliation and joy. The girls, now grown women, find that their early sacrifices have not only sustained the family but have allowed each of them to find her own authentic way in the world.

The People

Beatrice acts as the steadying hand for her siblings, transitioning from a girl who desires luxury to a woman who finds fulfillment in domestic responsibility. Ernestine, initially defined by her vanity and beauty, suffers the most profound internal breakdown, eventually emerging from her ordeal with a quieter, more resilient spirit. Olive is the engine of the family's ambition; she is the most serious, frequently sacrificing her own desire to study art to help her father, only to eventually find that her work and her heart can exist in harmony. Kittie and Kat, the irrepressible twins, provide the lighter moments of the narrative, gradually shedding their childish scowls and jealousies to become supportive, independent young women. Mr. Dering remains a figure of quiet, tragic dignity, struggling to protect his children from the truth, while his eventual recovery provides the necessary stability for the girls to blossom.

In Its Own Voice

"There were ripples of sunshine all tangled in the glowing scarlet of the geranium bed and dancing blithely over the grass."

The book opens with this atmospheric description, establishing the idyllic, undisturbed childhood home that the sisters will soon lose.

"I would rather work my fingers off than ever have you take one penny of his money, or let him help us in any way."

Olive expresses her fierce, protective pride during the family’s crisis, revealing her transformation from a carefree girl into the family’s primary defender.

"Neither my work nor my life is perfect without you, Roger, and I think that I have known it for some time, though I never so fully confessed it to myself as to-night."

At the close of the novel, Olive finally reconciles her professional ambitions with her personal life, acknowledging that her success is not a substitute for love.

What It's Really About

At its core, this is a story about the intersection of duty and self-actualization. It explores the question of whether a woman must choose between her ambitions and her family, arguing that the two are not inherently mutually exclusive. The book examines the moral weight of poverty—not just the financial hardship, but the way it forces individuals to redefine their identities when the external markers of status are stripped away. It is also an inquiry into the nature of "home," suggesting that the family hearth is something that must be actively maintained through sacrifice, patience, and the forgiveness of one another’s youthful errors.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate slow-burning, character-driven narratives will find a great deal to admire here. The book captures the distinct, often messy textures of a house full of sisters—the rivalries, the borrowed clothes, the shared secrets, and the sudden, irrational fears. It reads with the sincerity of a private diary, lingering on the small victories of daily life rather than chasing cheap thrills.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the specific conventions of the late 19th century. The prose is ornate and sentimental, and the social expectations placed upon the girls—particularly the constant emphasis on being "womanly"—reflect the period's rigid gender roles. There are moments of high drama that may feel exaggerated to a contemporary sensibility, and the dialogue sometimes leans into a formal earnestness that feels quite distant from today’s speech. Despite these period trappings, the core of the story remains remarkably resonant. The anxiety of facing financial instability and the struggle to find one’s purpose when the path is not clear are experiences that remain timeless. It is a rewarding, gentle read that stays with you for the grace with which it treats its characters’ growing pains.