The Sealed Letter

London, Autumn, 1864: Emily “Fido” Faithfull, an unmarried advocate for women’s rights, prides herself on her loyalty to her friends. When Helen, a companion from years ago, breezes back into her life, Fido hopes the two can pick up their friendship where they left off. It is a little hard to understand at first why sober-minded Fido cares about Helen so much. Shallow, unhappily married Helen has a long track record of poor choices. She is in the midst of an adulterous liaison with a feckless army officer, and he’s hardly the first to win her affections out of wedlock. When her beleaguered husband demands a divorce, Helen’s options are few. Fido wants to help her friend, but as the legal wrangling proceeds to a public trial, show more Fido finds herself in a scandalous situation she could not have imagined.

This slow moving but psychologically astute novel, which is based on a true story, effectively explores Victorian society's legal and moral constraints on women. Highly recommended. show less

Telling the story of a Victorian divorce, this novel underlines just how far we have come in terms of women’s liberation since those times. Though slow at the start, it comes into its own as the court case begins and the prose becomes almost playful – making the most of prudish Victorian sensibilities about (whisper it) sex – and it felt as though it had been as much fun to write as it was to read. All the time the reader knows that the accusations aimed at the wife in the case are true, and yet the ingrained sexism of Victorian society – laid bare here – mean she has our sympathy. There’s nothing like a book like this to concentrate the mind on the hard-won progress that women have made, and the fact that that progress was show more obstructed not just by the self-interest of men but also by the attitudes of other women. show less

The Sealed Letter is another one of those books I just couldn't put down--and then felt bereft when I finally finished it. Set in London in 1864, the novel is loosely based on a scandalous divorce case, and features facts stranger than fiction: a stained dress (sound familiar?), fabricated evidence, and scandal more scandalous than the sensationalist novels of the period. It's a novel in which supposed friends turn against one another, in which servants even turn against those they serve.

Helen Codrington is a wife and mother, born and bred abroad, who craves some excitement in her life. Never thinking of what might happen, she embarks on an affair with Captain David Anderson. Late in the summer of 1864, Helen runs into her old friend show more Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a crusader for women's rights, who's surprisingly... conventional, all things considered. When Harry Codrington finds out about Helen's affair, however, the lives of these three characters change drastically. The novel's point of view vacillates between Helen, Fido, and Harry.

It's a stunning, well-written book, which explores the way in which lies affect the lives of each of these characters. It's also a fair representation of mid-Victorian mores; although it's tough for us today to understand, divorce was much, much more scandalous and socially crippling in an era that placed a focus on the family and the woman's role in that family. It's strange, too, to a modern reader, the laws that governed divorce in 19th century England (for example, the two primaries were prohibited from testifying). Each of the characters is well-written, and Donoghue gets into the minds of each of the main characters with ease. She never tries to infuse this book with a modern sensibility. It's a compelling book that I couldn't stop thinking about between sittings and after I'd finished.

My only problem with this otherwise superb novel is the fact that the letters are all written in a cursive script that's hard to read. But that's only a technicality. show less

Based on the real-life divorce scandal that rocked Victorian England, The Sealed Letter is an action-packed look into the plight of women's rights and the scandals of terminating a marriage. If you ever wondered how difficult it was to obtain a divorce during the Victorian era, The Sealed Letter will answer your questions.

The story opens with a chance meeting between two old friends - Emily "Fido" Faithfull, a women's rights activist, and Helen Codrington, a naval wife. As the two become reacquainted, Fido realizes Helen is miserable in her marriage and has wandering eyes. Helen tells Fido about how neglectful her husband, Harry, is to her, and as the story progresses, the inevitable happens: Helen and Harry separate, and Harry wants a show more divorce.

Most Victorian couples who wanted to part ways didn't typically pursue divorces. Instead, they made civil and financial arrangements that kept them in separate households. While this is the avenue Helen would have preferred, Harry was out for revenge and willing to risk his reputation for a courtroom drama that would keep London hanging on to its every movement. For me, the courtroom scenes of The Sealed Letter were brilliantly done - a true page-turning saga that epitomized the imbalance of justice between husband and wife. Because Helen was accused of adultery, the lawyers got their chance to talk about sex in discreet terms. It was like listening to 7th graders banter in the boys' locker room. Parts of it were immature; other parts, were hilarious.

What wasn't funny, though, was the misery inflicted upon many characters, including Harry and Fido, as this personal matter became a very public affair. Divorce was nasty business then - and for many couples, it remains tumultuous to this day. Thankfully, women's rights as wives have improved since then, but the fact remains that dissolving a marriage is hard on everyone involved. The Sealed Letter hits the head on this nail - repeatedly and effectively.

I liked The Sealed Letter for its historical look on women's rights, marriage and divorce during Victorian England. Truth be told, I wasn't thrilled with the characters, especially Helen, who was manipulative and cruel. I don't have to like the characters, though, to appreciate a good story, and that's certainly the case with The Sealed Letter. Emma Donoghue is an excellent storyteller, and I think most fans of literary fiction will find value in this moving story. show less

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, show more 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 :-). show less

This novel is based on the true story of a scandalous Victorian divorce - which featured in its cast of characters a stuffy naval officer, his much younger and flirtatious wife, a series of handsome junior officers, and - oddly - an early feminist pioneer, who had been a close friend of the family, but who was called as a witness in the trial. The details of the trial are on the historical record, but not the details of the tangled personalities which led up to it; and it's these that Donoghue re-imagines for this book.

The trial itself takes up perhaps the last third of the book. It is gripping and exciting, and allows Donoghue to pull together all the threads of her themes - about how the same story can be narrated differently by the show more people who were involved in it, and the contrast between truth and justice (brilliantly highlighted in the chapter titles, which are all legal terminology, with both the 'normal' and the technical definition).

Unfortunately, the story that leads up to the trial is not so well-told - it's rather clunky, with too much telling and not enough showing (especially in the conversations where the two women are talking at cross-purposes), and it's a little bit too predictable. show less

Emily Faithfull, a leader in the early feminist movement in Victorian England, is drawn back into the life of an old friend and then becomes embroiled in her divorce case.

I didn't realize until I got to the afterword that The Sealed Letter was a historical novel about actual people and events. Learning that made the book much more interesting to me. The story is told from the points of view of the three members of a triangle, of sorts. Fido (Emily Faitfull) is an independent woman working for the Cause (women's rights) when she encounters--by chance, it seems--her old friend Helen Codrington, whom she thought cut her out of her life long ago. Fido is drawn back into friendship with Helen when she becomes an unwilling participant in the show more divorce case brought by her husband against her, a reluctant witness for both sides.

Because of the shifting points of view, we get to know and sympathize with all three characters, who seem caught up in a scandal that becomes much larger than themselves. While Helen is the least sympathetic, as she is clearly cheating on her husband, she is still trapped in a loveless marriage formed when she was too young to know any better, and her husband takes away her children without even allowing her a final goodbye, underscoring how few legal rights women had during this period. Fido, despite her independence and self-reliance, comes across as too naive and trusting, as well as too much in love, something she won't even admit to herself. And Henry, the husband, is ultimately a man of principle, despite his cruel actions toward his wife. There are no winners here, but the playing out of the scandal and the legal machinations are fascinating.

My main complaint is that the story takes a bit too long to get rolling, and it seems to get bogged down at several points. It took me a while to actually get involved with the characters. There is a twist at the end, but it's one that perceptive readers will see coming. I appreciated the great amount of research Donoghue must have done to bring these historical characters to life, and I enjoyed learning about a part of British history and the feminist movement that I wasn't familiar with. I will be sure to seek out more books by Donoghue. show less