The Second Violin

"The Second Violin" is an absorbing story of a large family and the problems they endure. The main character, Charlotte, plays the second violin in the family orchestra.

When their parents are on a trip, Celia, the family's eldest daughter, is left in charge until she falls down the stairs and breaks her leg. After the incident, the younger daughter Charlotte takes charge of the house and learns to cook, housekeep, and baby-mind. She also falls in love with the doctor next door. In the other half of the book, Charlotte, now married, acts as guardian to a handful of waifs and strays.