A delightful novella of love, matrimony, and sisterhood—firmly in the tradition of Jane Austen—displaying all the imaginative flair and linguistic prowess that distinguish Christina Rossetti's best-loved verse. With a Foreword by Andrew Motion.

When William Charlmont is lost at sea, his devoted wife lies dying in childbirth and charges Catherine, their eldest daughter, to await his return. Years later, and now in her thirties, Catherine remains faithful to her promise, resigning herself to a life of spinsterhood. Her two sisters, however, are under no such obligation, and while Lucy loves and loses from afar, the carefree Jane resolves to make a prosperous marriage and become a lady of fortune. Commonplace is a charmingly witty tale of the tortuous path a girl must take to secure a suitable match. One of the most important of the Victorian women poets, and a member of the Pre- Raphaelite movement, Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) is best known as the author of Goblin Market and Other Poems.