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.

George Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic and playwright. As a writer he best known for his contribution to the natural realist genre of literature. He was among the first English-language writers to follow in the footsteps of the French realists, especially the writings of Émile Zola were influential on his work. Moore himself went on to influence fellow Irishman James Joyce.

Although Moore's work is often not considered to belong to the mainstream Irish and British literature of his time, he is widely accepted as being one of the first great modern Irish novelists.