About the book
Coward! Sneak! May good men shun him, from henceforth! may his Queen refuse to receive him! You, an earl’s daughter! Oh, Isabel! How utterly you have lost yourself!’ When the aristocratic Lady Isabel abandons her husband and children for her wicked seducer, more is at stake than moral retribution. Ellen Wood played upon the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family. In her novel the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and adultery. Her sensation novel was devoured by readers from the Prince of Wales to Joseph Conrad and continued to fascinate theatre-goers and cinema audiences well into the next century.
Reviewed by The Benches
Although this 19 Century novel was more than 600 pages, the consensus was that it was an ‘easy’ read, well strung together with strongly developed characters – The Judge: A pompous fellow – Cornelia: A sharply spoken Harridan: Barbara: only happy when she had her own way: and Isobel: a rather feeble heroine. An obvious plot, probably originated as a weekly journal and conveniently some of the story was repetitive. A victorian’soap’ Appealing more, perhaps to women readers.”
star rating ***
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