This 87,000 word novel is structured in the form of an exchange of letters from Mary Hartwell to Professor Hastings. The letters, dated 1868, came into Mary's possession following the death of her grandmother, Lydia Hartwell. The content of the letters reveal detailed accounts of spanking and corporal punishment, with particular reference to the harsh disciplinary regime at Greystones Public School, an institution Lydia attended in place of her brother, disguising herself as a teenage boy.

Lydia's letters to her Aunt Julia describe her many experiences as the recipient of strap, cane, birch, paddle, clothes brush and other instruments of correction ... and also reveal her enjoyment of her various punishments. A Victorian Spanking Adventure details the discipline of Lydia and others, with hearty thrashings galore from wicked housemasters.