Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret
is a fascinating look into the world of madness. The novel was written in 1861. A biographical note: Braddon lived with publisher John Maxwell and his children but they could not get married because his wife was still alive and in an insane asylum. It's like the real life Jane Eyre
!
George Talboys has been in Australia working to make money for his wife back home in England. They are newly married and he wants to provide a good life for her because he felt she seemed unhappy with the small amount of money they had. He left in the middle of the night without giving his wife anything but a note saying where he was going. His thoughts have been filled with his wife and he is excited to get home to her, but when he arrives he finds out that his wife, Helen Talboys, is dead.
George and his friend Robert spend a great amount of time together after his arrival and Robert sees how depressed George has become. They visit the deceased wife's father and their child she left behind. George does not take the child. Eventually George is nowhere to be found and Robert declares that he is dead, and possibly murdered. When George disappears they are at Audley Court, Robert's uncle's residence.
Robert's uncle, Sir Michael Audley has recently taken a very young wife, Lucy Audley. She is the same age as his tomboy daughter, Alicia, and has no history. She is childlike, with blonde hair and blue eyes, but there is something in her personality that people seem to pull away from. Alicia especially dislikes her.
I will admit that the plot was pretty easy to figure out in the first few chapters which isn't necessarily a good thing in a "murder mystery" but it really is quite good. It's one of my favorite books I've read this semester and if you like murder stories or Victorian literature it is definitely a must read.
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