One of MacDonald's lengthy and powerful, but not widely studied, novels, Mary Marston is the only book in the MacDonald corpus with a woman featured in the title role. As one of MacDonald's many strong and memorable leading ladies, Mary exemplifies a life of dedication to Christ, self-sacrifice, and obedience to parents. We encounter here a touching portrayal of that earthly relationship so dear to MacDonald's heart, because it so embodied man's relationship with God_x2014_the relationship between fathers and their sons and daughters. Of the diverse range of characters found within the pages of this novel, Michael Phillips writes, _x201C_Taken together, their individual lives make fascinating reading. They are so diverse, sometimes so petty and foolish, their intertwining relationships so humorous at times_x2026_we observe human growth at work_x2026_always progressing in one direction or the other_x2014_sometimes straight, sometimes crooked. It is a diverse character mix in many shades of gray_x2026_containing diverse character flaws without easy resolutions. I find it one of the most real array of characters in the MacDonald corpus._x201D_
