The first novel to be written for serial publication by a major female author, Sophia follows the story of two siblings, the virtuous and well-read eponymous heroine and her flighty and coquettish sister. While the latter leads a vapid life in the fashionable world of London, the former flees from a potential seducer to the country, where she pursues true friendship, learning, and an independent living. Previously out of print, the novel explores such issues as the place of female education, the opposition of city and country, the emergence of the literary marketplace, and the development of the individual.

This Broadview edition reproduces images from the novel's original serial publication and also includes other articles from Lennox's periodical The Lady's Museum, contemporary reviews of Sophia, and writings on sentimentalism.