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Apr 06, 2009

Boof rated it:

This book was really good fun. A 19th century who-dunnit complete with beautiful but cunning villainess, rambling old houses and an upper-class layabout-turned-detective. Fabulous!

This was one of the first "sensation" novels ever written, and while it doesn't have the sophisticated and multi-layered plots of today that keep us guessing until the very end and on the edge of our seets, it is nonetheless a great page turner and so much fun. This book was originally serialised More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

Sean rated it:

This is a sadly forgotten but great 19th century sensation novel that rivals some of Wilkie Collins' best books such as The Woman in White and the Moonstone. Its also one of the first to feature a female villain which wasn't typical of early literature. Nevertheless, this dynamic creates an interesting character study which discusses female motives and what they are capable of despite their beauty and grace. This is a great book and it definitely needs to move closer to the top on your to-read l More...

4 comments like (9 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2009

Misfit rated it:

Since this is one of those books that to tell too much of the story would ruin it, I'm only giving you the bare bones. Baronet Sir Michael Audley takes himself a young, beautiful (but penniless) wife, but his eighteen year old daughter Alicia is not quite so enthralled with Lucy's charms. Sir Michael's nephew Robert Audley greets his old friend George Talboys on his return from the gold-fields of Australia, but George is anxious to reunite with the wife and child he left behind when he was unabl More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jul 15, 2011

Eve rated it:

Things are not always as they appear, if there's a lesson to be learned from this book...there it is in a nut shell. There was a major curve ball thrown at the end and I was pleasantly surprised. I guess this is what was considered "chick-lit" in the 1800s. Bigamy, murder, lunacy, etc. Good deal!

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 27, 2010

Liz (Consumed by Books) rated it:

As you can tell from my status updates on GoodReads, this book took me a ridiculously long time to get through. It was actually for my Vic Lit book club (not school), and the week I had for Thanksgiving wound up being ridiculous, so I've only just had the chance to finish it. Despite the amount of time it took me to read Lady Audley's Secret, I really enjoyed it on the whole.

I have to say that the plot is a bit predictable. It's fairly easy to figure out what the basic idea is. With More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 01, 2008

JoAnn rated it:

A great psychological mystery. It was a lot of fun and I caught myself yelling at the protagonist, Robert Audley, who completely drove me nuts.

Honestly. How stupid can you be? Sure, it's a great idea to tell the person you suspect of murder that you suspect them, what and where your evidence is (so they can steal or destroy it again?) and who your witnesses are (they've probably killed once, what's to stop them again?). Smart. Then it dawns on him that maybe his suspect could tur More...

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Feb 13, 2012

trishtrash rated it:

Robert Audley, not the most highly motivated individual, finds himself investigating the disappearance of his friend, George Talboys, who is somehow linked to Robert’s aunt, the charming and beautiful – not to mention recent - Lady Audley. Almost universally adored, particularly by her doting husband, Lady Audley has a past that she is desperate to keep from her interfering step-nephew.

Robert is an unusual romantic hero, in that he is not the least inclined to be romantic, or to m More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Lin rated it:

The best way I know how to sum up my feelings for this book is that it's a very pleasant read. It's the sort of thing you read in the bath, or on a long, ambling car ride with your mind half-occupied by something else. There are a lot of pretty digressions and descriptions, MOST of which don't drag, about the lime walk at Figtree Court or the paleness of Pheobe Marks' complexion. These things appealed to the very detail-oriented soul in me, as I've always loved books that take time to describe t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 27, 2011

Sara rated it:

I haven't met a Victorian sensation novel that I haven't enjoyed yet and this one was no different in that sense. It's a mystery novel, and though you sort of know what Lady Audley's secret it very early on, there are enough twists and turns to keep you flipping the pages as fast as you can. Unlike other novels of this time period (thinking Of East Lynne and Wilkie Collins's books) I found it difficult to become emotionally involved with any of the characters - Braddon tried to infuse them with More...

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Aug 28, 2011

Betty rated it:

From Amazon:
The 1860s in England saw the boom of "sensation novels" which is best represented by the gripping thrillers "The Woman in White" and "The Moonstone," written by Wilkie Collins. Immediately after the success of the former one, Mary Elizabeth Braddon wrote "Lady Audley's Secret," which also became an instant bestseller, quickly making her a celebrity. But, in more than one sense, as you see later.

The story of Braddon's book is clea More...

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Jul 13, 2011

Matt rated it:

I'm not sure where I got the impression that this would somehow be unreadable, but I was totally mistaken-- this is a brisk little thriller, one where there's equal windows into the working out of the plot of the novel and the ways complicated issues are contested in Victorian culture-- in other words, it's got a good bit of readerly enjoyment to offer as well as grounds for some heavy duty academic analysis-- the last section, about mental illness, for example, is ripe for some sort of Foucauld More...

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Jun 24, 2011

Pikachu rated it:

So this is a "sensation" novel. Hmm. The back cover on my copy describes the main heroine has having "great depth" and "complexity of character," but I honestly don't see that. Most of the characters in this book were quite cardboard. Everyone was in awe of the beautiful but sinister Lady Audley, and she only had to crook her little finger to make everyone fall to their knees like obedient slaves, despite the fact that her lies were so transparently obvious that eve More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 27, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Not a bad read--it has mystery, (murder?), and madness--but to my eyes Lady Audley's secret or secrets, I should say--for there are several layers to this funny child-like lady--aren't all that bad. I see her as a woman weighed down by circumstance and a series of worthless and/or self-righteous men (father, husband, husband, nephew). Not that I applaud her behavior; I think she could have handled the situation much more thoughtfully. But since Victorian culture tends to turn women into caged an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 19, 2010

Devon rated it:

I find myself pleasantly surprised at how good this book was! I wouldn't call it a "classic" per se, on the same level as Dickens or some such novel, but Lady Audley's Secret, written in 1862, is considered a classic in the British "sensational novel" (suspense, we'd call it now) tier, as it was one of the first, and well-know in that category. I read a lot of historical fiction and this book has been made mention of many times in some of the books I've read, most notably i More...

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Jun 08, 2010

Holly marked it as to-read

From Musings: When Sir Michael Audley married former governess Lucy Graham, it caused quite a stir in his family. His new wife was closer in age to his adult daughter Alicia, and his nephew Robert was captivated by Lady Audley’s beauty. Robert is a London barrister (although he doesn’t appear to actually do any work), and one day he runs into an old friend, George Talboys, recently returned from three years in Australia. George is shocked to learn that his wife passed away just a few days befo More...

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Dec 15, 2009

Matt rated it:

Who wants to read an essay on this run-of-the mill Victorian sensation novel?!?!?!

A Mournful Presentiment:
A Synthesis of Childishness, Death, and Fate in Lady Audley’s Secret

In Lady Audley’s Secret, Mary Elizabeth Braddon uses childishness to achieve a heightened awareness of death. I will define “childishness” to include the inherent relationship between parent and child, and characters exhibiting childlike behavior. The juxtaposition of death and violence with chil More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 20, 2011

BohoMon rated it:

A sensation novel of Victorian England that rivalled Wilkie Collins' own efforts. What's a sensation novel?

For this reason alone, it is an important work. It was one instrument in the creation of a genre, as well as being amongst the earliest crime novels. This novel includes murder attempts, child abandonment, bigamy, and deceit.

The plot is complex and well-structured, overall a generally good story, and the characters are well-rounded enough. However..... the writing is du More...

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Sep 27, 2009

F.R. rated it:

The Sensation novel is where the detective story – created by Poe –developed and grew. Twenty-five years later Conan Doyle would formalise it and then, of course, it evolved into the most popular fiction of the twentieth century. Looking at this book from the 1860s then, we can see the faltering steps of a whole genre.

In his wonderful essay ‘The Simple Art of Murder’ Raymond Chandler argues that you can’t overly criticise Doyle for some of the choices he makes in the Holmes stories, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 22, 2011

Jack rated it:

I had to read this book quickly for an English class: in about four days. I don't feel this detracted from the overall experience. This book was made to be read fast, by hurried commuters rushing about on trains. It is one of the original page-turners, and a gripping read.

Rushing backwards and forwards on trains is something which the main character, Robert Audley, does a lot of. Due to my quick read, I noticed a lot of repetition such as the train journeys, and the re-occuring descr More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Becky rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Apr 24, 2010

Megan rated it:

Wow! I LOVED this book. :) Sometimes I feel I should love dusty old classics because I am a writer, so I try desperately to love them but sometimes wind up feeling like I have been cheated. But this one really, really pleased me. Perhaps in part because I listened to it on my Ipod over the course of several months while I took long walks. I looked forward to my walks in anticipation of finding out what would happen next.

Surprisingly, I found Braddon's male viewpoint believable. Male More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 22, 2011

Amanda rated it:

(4.5 stars)

Sir Michael Audley of Audley Court falls in love with a young, penniless, beautiful woman with a secret past, and marries her. Meanwhile, George Talboys heads home from Australia after over three years abroad trying to find a fortune in gold for his young wife and son, only to find that his wife has died. Heartbroken, George listlessly follows his friend Robert Audley, nephew of Sir Michael, up to Audley Court - where he mysteriously disappears.

Oh how I love Victor More...

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Jun 10, 2011

Franky rated it:

Just finished Lady Audley's Secret. Great novel,much in the vain of a Wilkie Collins. Lady Audley's Secret was one of the sensationalist type novels to come out of this era, and has many of the devices one would find: mysterious beautiful woman, dark secrets, odd circumstances, investigations, reality versus illusion. The two main principle characters are Robert Audley and Lady Audley. The basic premise of the novel is that when Robert Audley's friend, George Talboys, goes missing after returnin More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 16, 2011

Emma rated it:

I absolutely loved this book. As well as being the first sensation novel to really critique the Angel-of-the-House theory, it puts a spin on the Victorian patriarchal view of the 'perfect' woman. Lucy, although having beautiful blonde ringlets and blue eyes, is in fact, a morally unstable woman; a statement usually put upon the 'Other' in Victorian society. Although, arguably, from a feminist perspective, her actions are not wholly 'evil' but instead rebellious, this is possibly the first novel More...

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Nov 16, 2009

Laura rated it:

I think I might not have liked this as much if I was reading it as opposed to listening to the audiobook. I am generally too impatient to enjoy audiobooks and I was listening to this during my commute and while I knit in an attempt to appreciate audiobooks. Librevox is a great program, and the volunteer that read this was a wonderful performer.

Serial novels aren't the easiest reads, every chapter is exciting, but at the end of it you realize NOTHING happened. This book is like that. More...

1 comment like

Apr 11, 2009

Christy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Sep 05, 2011

Derrick rated it:

<spoiler>A young woman, whose husband has run off to Australia to make his fortune, gives herself a new name and ends up marrying an old rich lord. The husband returns, Lady Audley kills him and her secret is safe. Except that her husband was good friends with the lord's nephew, Robert. Robert investigates his friends disappearance and turns up all of Lady Audley's secrets. She is put away in an insane asylum. In the end she dies a couple of years later and her husband, who she supposedly More...

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Oct 07, 2011

Deb rated it:

this book was written in 1861 - extremely well written and a fast read. The writer is very interesting as she lived with a man whose wife was in an insane asylum and raised his five kids and they had six kids together. When his wife died, he married Mary E. Braddon. She wrote several books and had them all published in magazines as well as books. This book is about a young governess w/a past that marries a very wealthy man 35 years older then herself. The man's nephew begins to question thi More...

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Sep 16, 2009

Paula rated it:

What a fantastic, full book! I had never heard of this author until she was mentioned in the Victorians group and am thankful to them for bringing her to my attention.

This book has everything; great depth of characters, engaging plot, mystery, mayhem, murder, love, agony, despair, all nestled within a wonderfully described setting.

Interestingly, the women are also portrayed in a way that I don't often find, especially in the little Victorian literature I've read thus fa More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 22, 2012

Rose rated it:

I enjoyed this book because it's an exciting page-turner and because of the title character, Lucy, Lady Audley. The beautiful and innocent woman who is actually evil is a stereotype now but it wasn't when Braddon wrote the book and it still has power. Lady Audley is not simply two-faced, she is a complex character whose past explains, though it doesn't excuse, her actions. I gave the book three stars because there is some repetitious description (was it really necessary to describe Lady Audley's More...

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