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Loading... Lady Audley's Secret (Oxford World's Classics) (original 1862; edition 1998)by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, David Skilton (Editor)
Work InformationLady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1862)
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This was a pretty fun book with plenty of Victorian soliloquies and dramatizations. Haha! Very typical 19th century sensation novel---oh, if only Jane Austen could have read it! We might have been treated to something inspired to rival Northanger Abbey in her old age. While I thought the "villain" ultimately deserved a lot worse than was doled out, I was satisfied overall with the ending. ( ) Well. This is quite a long story for something that's pretty obvious upfront. I'm willing to accept that it could have been novel and exciting at the time, and I've just read too many mysteries. Still we spend a lot of time in the minds of men whose entire POV could be summed up as "Ladies! Am I right?" I read this on the heels of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher (LOVED that) as it mentioned a few times. There was a famous murder investigation of that period that surely Mrs. Braddon called upon while writing this novel. Well-written and plotted, the only reason I give it four stars not five, is the lack of mystery... it's shocking enough if we all imagine Victorian women behaving well. There are some interesting commentaries on YouTube that one should see as well regarding Lady Audley's behavior/symptoms falling within the boundaries of what was then called "purple madness" and is similar to post-partem depression. But Lady Audley's secret is fairly obvious in the early part of the book. The question is not did she do these things but was she mad or a psychopath? How far can we go to meet her with empathy? Do we rally with a cry of feminism that not all women want to be married and have children or do we see her as a manipulative, heartless opportunist? Watching it play out is like watching a train wreck, horrible but fascinating. And yet, other books pull me away. At present, I've set it aside unfinished for now. Loved this...great fun. 4.5-stars, rounded down. As I read Lady Audley's Secret, I kept thinking of Poe, Conan Doyle and Anne Bronte. A nice combination, if I must say so myself. Braddon has created an interesting story line and a creepy environment in which to plunk down her motley set of characters. I loved the conflicting ideas that are present within Lady Audley herself and especially enjoyed the myriad ways she is viewed by the other characters in the story. Her secret did surprise me, and I confess I thought it would not. Braddon does a wonderful job of creating atmosphere and her descriptive passages are delightful and vivid. She plants red herrings and takes the mind into many dead-end suppositions. She made me laugh a little, but at the same time cringe. In the end, I loved both her story and the way it was delivered. While many things progressed in the novel exactly as I assumed they would, there were a few moments of complete surprise and that is always nice in this genre. I will not hesitate to read more of Braddon's work when I can fit it into my schedule. no reviews | add a review
Belongs to Publisher SeriesPenguin English Library, 2012 series (2012-04) Virago Modern Classics (186) Is contained inHas the adaptationHas as a student's study guide
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
HTML: Lady Audley's Secret was one of the first and most successful sensation novels of the late 19th century. A young gentleman of leisure, Robert Audley, is spurred into action when his friend Geroge Talboys goes missing from Audley Court. As an amateur detective, Robert travels the length and breadth of the country, only to discover that the answer to the mystery lies in the true identity of his uncle's wife, Lady Audley. True to its genre, the novel brings danger home to the private sphere of the country house and questions the unassailable boundaries of class. It is also a strident feminine criticism of the times, though debate still rages as to whether Braddon tidies her questions away too neatly at the end of the novel. .No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.8Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Victorian period 1837-1900LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin Australia2 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia. Editions: 0140435840, 0141198842 |