The Sealed Letter (original 2008; edition 2008)

I'd heard good things about Emma Donoghue but as her historical fiction is usually set in the Victorian period (a period I don't have much interest in) I doubted very much that I would ever read a book by her. But then, on a whim, at a sale, I picked up this one. And boy, am I glad I did as I think I've discovered a new favourite author.

On the surface this book is about a scandalous Victorian divorce case (weren't they all?!) and this one had it all; a decorated Admiral as the petitioner, a cheating wife with not one but two lovers, men under the Admiral's command named as co-respondents, hints of assignations and sex in 'exotic' locations, accusations of attempted rape, a well known early feminist as a witness for the defence, disappearance of said witness, and hints of 'unnatural' acts (lesbianism). The sensationalist press of the time had a field day and the retelling of the story makes for a compelling and page turning read. But the story Ms Donoghue tells goes much deeper than that, and it is as involved and as complex as human nature itself and the strict societal mores of the time.

Donoghue uses the scant historical source materials (court documents, newspaper reports and a handful of personal letters) to good effect and weaves them into a very human and thought provoking tale. There's no right and wrong or winners and losers in this, but lots of shades and shadows. Lies and hypocrisy abound especially during the trial. It certainly made me very grateful that I live in a time and a country of 'no fault' divorce and that our Family Law Court is there ostensibly to look after the welfare of the children involved.

Some reviewers have said they were disappointed by the ending but I loved it. There are two nice twists in the tail which I felt added much to the story and a lot of meaning to the undercurrent stuff. The author had some good points to make and it made me consider the old 'double standard' from an entirely new perspective, even amoung women and feminists. The early feminists had much to learn about what real equality meant, as arguably we still do today.

An enjoyable buddy read with Anna who made it even better by indulging in some pretty wild speculation :-). ( )

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The first book I read on my nook. I always like Emma Donoghue, to varying degrees; this one was not quite as good as Slammerkin but it was still engaging, primarily because of the relationships between the characters and the difficult decisions that the main character, Emily "Fido" Faithfull, must make. ( )

This was not for me--nothing I particularly objected to, but over 100 pages in, I was getting less and less engaged by the story.

What a let down. I'd heard amazing things about Donoghue, but this did not live up to the hype. Although partially based on true events, the story was slow and quite dull. Helen was an annoying, spoilt little bitch and Fido was pathetic and naïve, even for the age in which he story is set. I couldn't relate to, or feel any emotion for, the characters and couldn't have cared less what happened to them. A shame really as I'm a history geek and normally love these types of books. ( )

Like many readers, I was blown away when I read Emma Donoghue’s Room back in 2011. Eager to see what else she had written, I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of it was historical fiction (right up my alley!). I eagerly jumped into this one, but I can see that others may find it strange in comparison to Room.

Why? Well, let’s look at the similarities for starters – both novels are based on a factual event (although I wish that this had been made obvious at the start of The Sealed Letter). This book is a little less sensational for the modern reader as it’s based on a divorce trial in Victorian England, which is not so shocking. Donoghue does her best to make the reader see just how sensational a divorce was at the time by the cloak and dagger methods employed by the main character. Both Room and The Sealed Letter have strong women characters and the events and secrets are slowly, carefully revealed at just the right moment.

But the differences? The Sealed Letter’s Fido is a bit dim at times compared to Room’s Jack, despite her being an adult. She seems to be a complete sucker when it comes to Helen (her alleged best friend and soon to be divorcee). Helen dupes Fido over and over to spend time with her lover, whether using her (or her house!) as an alibi. Fido becomes entangled in the court case and soon her character is tainted.

The plot I found to be a little more uneven than Room, without the extreme dramatic moments (but to be fair, the subject matter is difficult to match). At times, the narrative was slow, Fido had her head in the sand and Helen continued using her. But I persevered and I found the courtroom scenes to be interesting as well as the juxtaposition between the strong and weak females, versus good or bad. Is it better to be ‘good’ and ‘weak’ or ostracised for being ‘bad’ and ‘strong’?

There’s as many questions left unanswered here as in Room, but given the basis on real life events, I was expecting this. The Sealed Letter will have you questioning intentions, morals and why our society shuns some over others.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com ( )