Lady Audley's Secret was one of the books that really made me love gothic, Victorian novels. Braddon weaves a wonderful narrative with a governess, a foreboding house, doom and gloom, and a shocking twist. It reminds me of The Woman in White, Jane Eyre, and The Thirteenth Tale (although this one is much, much newer). ( )

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The gorgeous governess Lucy marries the much older and wealthier Sir Michael Audley, much to the dismay of his daughter Alicia. Michael's nephew Robert visits with his recently widowed friend George Talboys, who then mysteriously disappears. I was a little disappointed when I figured out the titular secret in the second chapter, but as I read on I discovered that solving that mystery is not the point of the book. This story is not a whodunit so much as it about the battle of wits between Robert and Lucy, all carefully kept within the bounds of Victorian propriety.

I am usually wary of so-called "classics", after so many bleary-eyed attempts in school to discover the symbolism and hidden truths lurking somewhere between the lines, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover Braddon was a writer of thrillers for the general public. The footnotes in this particular edition were especially helpful given the large number of pop culture references. These take away from any timelessness this story might have had, but it was still fun to watch Robert connecting the dots and building up evidence.

Robert is an intriguing character as he makes the slow transformation from lazy trust fund kid to passionate mystery solver. Alicia is delightfully obnoxious as well. The ending did not impress me much - it felt too neat, especially the final word on George Talboys's disappearance - but after hundreds of pages of build-up I suppose there wasn't much else to be done. It felt almost as if Braddon had written herself into a corner. All the same, it was a pleasant way to pass the time, if not a terribly memorable story. ( )

A wonderful and exciting Victorian mystery and sensation novel, with strong female and male characters. Although the reader guesses what is afoot long before the protagonist, Robert Audley, this does not detract from the enjoyment of reading this book, and there are still plenty of secrets to reveal along the way. ( )

This was the first book by M. E. Braddon that I have ever read and it was also the first sensation novel that I have read. It was a very successful novel at the time it was published and I can really see why people wanted to read it. The themes presented in the novel are enthralling and interesting as they show a different side of Victorian domesticity and draw a different portrait of Victorian women / wives / mothers. I really liked the main characters and I was curious to find out how the novel ends. The end did surprise me as I really thought that Lady Audley murdered her first husband. However, it turned out that her first husband did not die. Nevertheless, Lady Audley still receives punishment for the committed deeds and the other characters find happiness. The novel has a happy conclusion for the “good characters” but one can argue if it really is a successful conclusion. When we look at Alicia for example, we can argue if she is really happy marrying someone else, and not the man she is in love with, namely Robert Audley. Furthermore, readers must also consider Lady Audley’s sanity. Was she really a “madwoman” like her mother or just an ambitious woman who was dissatisfied with her low status and committed crimes in order to secure her new gained status? The novel is open for many interpretations; every reader has its own and that’s what I like about the book! ( )