Esther Waters is an unmarried young woman from an impoverished working class family who, while employed as a kitchen maid, is seduced by one of her fellow domestic servants, falls pregnant, then subsequently is deserted by her lover.

Despite the dire circumstances and the social stigma of bearing a child out of wedlock, Esther decides to bring up her future child as a single mother, despite the backlash she will face.

'Esther Waters' is one of a group of Victorian novels depicting the life and times of the "fallen woman". It is widely regarded as Moore's best novel.

Highly recommended for fans of the natural realist novels of Émile Zola, Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope, who examined the societal repercussions of the early-stage capitalism immediately following the Industrial Resolution.