George MacDonald was a 19th century Scottish writer, poet and minister. He is best known for his fairy tales and fantasies. His most popular works are Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind, and Lilith. Weighed and Wanting is the story of a disfunctional family with a distant father and an emotionally weak mother. There is a rotten older brother and a physically weak younger brother. The sister is the main character in the story. She loves a rich cousin but also wants to help the poor of London. Is love stronger than hate?