Donovan, Volume 1 (of 3): A novel

"Donovan, Volume 1 (of 3)" by Edna Lyall is a novel written in the late 19th century. It follows Donovan Farrant, a proud, gifted young skeptic shaped by a harsh upbringing and a school disgrace, as he confronts questions of honor, love, and faith. Early influences include his gentle but distant father, his fragile sister Dot, his worldly cousin Ellis, and the compassionate Tremain family in Cornwall. The tone promises a serious, character-driven story about wounded pride meeting steadfast kindness.

The opening of the novel traces Donovan’s expulsion from school after he admits to introducing gambling, endures a brutal “gauntlet,” and, even when struck unfairly, restrains himself from retaliation. His father arrives, meets him with unexpected tenderness, and takes him away; a retrospect then reveals Donovan’s lonely childhood under a hard housekeeper, an early lure to cards via cousin Ellis, a shallow, self-absorbed mother, deep devotion to his invalid sister, and a drift into atheism encouraged by an agnostic tutor. On a stormy journey west, his father falls ill at Porthkerran; Dr. Tremain attends, and the Colonel quietly writes a simple will favoring Donovan before dying suddenly. In the aftermath, Mrs. Tremain offers practical kindness, Donovan’s mother overwhelms him with reproaches, he glimpses the Tremains’ warm household, and cousin Ellis arrives—only to seethe when the doctor privately delivers the will—bringing this first section to a tense pause.