What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Love Has Chains
Pregnant and unmarried, seventeen-year-old Irene Thelliston has been sent home from India in disgrace to live with her aunt in rural Ireland. Only one person knows her secret: Lady Mary Harling, a fellow passenger on her sea voyage, who pities her misfortunes and solemnly swears never to divulge her secret. Years later, to Lady Mary's horror, the beautiful Irene arrives in London and becomes engaged to her son Conrad, who has a secret of his own, having spent seven years in a madhouse after a broken heart left him insane. Lady Mary is desperate to prevent the marriage, but how can she, without violating her oath? And when Irene's handsome seducer appears on the scene and threatens to come between Irene and Conrad, can their love endure or will Conrad relapse into madness?
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) was one of the most popular and prolific authors of the Victorian era, publishing 85 books, including the sensational bestsellers Lady Audley's Secret (1862) and Aurora Floyd (1863). This new edition of one of her most interesting novels, Dead Love Has Chains (1907), is the first in more than a century and features a new introduction and notes by Laurence Talairach-Vielmas.
Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) was one of the most popular and prolific authors of the Victorian era, publishing 85 books, including the sensational bestsellers Lady Audley's Secret (1862) and Aurora Floyd (1863). This new edition of one of her most interesting novels, Dead Love Has Chains (1907), is the first in more than a century and features a new introduction and notes by Laurence Talairach-Vielmas.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1907
59 people want to read
About the author
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
1,060 books393 followersMary Elizabeth Braddon was a British Victorian era popular novelist. She was an extremely prolific writer, producing some 75 novels with very inventive plots. The most famous one is her first novel, Lady Audley's Secret (1862), which won her recognition and fortune as well. The novel has been in print ever since, and has been dramatised and filmed several times.
Braddon also founded Belgravia Magazine (1866), which presented readers with serialized sensation novels, poems, travel narratives, and biographies, as well as essays on fashion, history, science. She also edited Temple Bar Magazine. Braddon's legacy is tied to the Sensation Fiction of the 1860s.
She is also the mother of novelist W.B. Maxwell.
Braddon also founded Belgravia Magazine (1866), which presented readers with serialized sensation novels, poems, travel narratives, and biographies, as well as essays on fashion, history, science. She also edited Temple Bar Magazine. Braddon's legacy is tied to the Sensation Fiction of the 1860s.
She is also the mother of novelist W.B. Maxwell.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 31, 2021
I have enjoyed a few of Braddon's more well-known and earlier works. This is one of her very late works and I think she was losing her power. Still, I didn't know where it would end up, so there is that. The GR description gives a bit more information than I think it should. The premise is of a young woman having been sent home from India in a state of disgrace. On board ship, she is befriended by the older Lady Mary Harling. We only know that "Jane Brown" is pregnant, because, when she returns The Scarlet Letter to Lady Harling, she confesses that this is her problem. Published in 1907, I feel certain that it could not be said outright that an unmarried woman was pregnant.
Braddon was the Queen of Sensation Fiction - yes, capitalized. I appreciated the story and the predicament of both "Jane Brown" and Lady Mary Harling. This story wouldn't fly set in modern times. That's OK. I like the old stuff and wonder that I haven't been reading as much of it of late. I doubt this is my last Mary Elizabeth Braddon, but I think this comes in at just 3-stars.
I started to read the introduction to this edition, but began to feel it was wandering into spoiler territory and skipped to the text. This wasn't as easy as it should be, because there is no interactive Table of Contents. In addition, it is heavily annotated. In some texts, I appreciate the footnotes but in this one they were embedded in the text and I found them distracting. But at this time, it is the only Kindle edition available and this title is not included in the The Works of M. E. Braddon. (I wanted the 1907 by a woman for my 20th Century Women challenge.)
Braddon was the Queen of Sensation Fiction - yes, capitalized. I appreciated the story and the predicament of both "Jane Brown" and Lady Mary Harling. This story wouldn't fly set in modern times. That's OK. I like the old stuff and wonder that I haven't been reading as much of it of late. I doubt this is my last Mary Elizabeth Braddon, but I think this comes in at just 3-stars.
I started to read the introduction to this edition, but began to feel it was wandering into spoiler territory and skipped to the text. This wasn't as easy as it should be, because there is no interactive Table of Contents. In addition, it is heavily annotated. In some texts, I appreciate the footnotes but in this one they were embedded in the text and I found them distracting. But at this time, it is the only Kindle edition available and this title is not included in the The Works of M. E. Braddon. (I wanted the 1907 by a woman for my 20th Century Women challenge.)
January 8, 2025
I absolutely loved Dead Love Has Chains. I couldn’t stop reading it! Braddon’s exploration of unrequited love is both compelling and emotionally moving.
One thing that stood out was Lady Mary’s reaction to Irene’s confession. Despite having read books like Jane Eyre and The Scarlet Letter, both of which center on female resilience, she still shuns Irene.
It raises an interesting question: does knowing something intellectually always translate into compassion or understanding when faced with real-life circumstances? It seems not.
Middlemore’s treatment of Irene enraged me especially his sudden reappearance in her life, demanding she forget all the pain and shame he caused, without even acknowledging her suffering.
Ultimately, Irene is forced into “a loveless marriage, the love having been replaced by hatred,” leaving the man she truly loves in uncertainty. Does she love him? Or has he been deceived once again by a woman unable to return his affection?
Irene’s confession was one of the most moving moments for me: “My life will never be like a girl’s life again. We shall not have a thought in common.” The shift from “girlhood” to “womanhood,” given the context and Irene’s age, suggests something irreparably broken, the betrayal and loss of innocence we later came to find out. It’s a powerful reminder of the struggles women endure, and Irene’s resilience after such a horrific ordeal is inspiring.
Braddon and I seem to pose the same question: When does new love remember the old?
The story is deeply emotional, and its sad, bittersweet ending left a lasting impression on me.
One thing that stood out was Lady Mary’s reaction to Irene’s confession. Despite having read books like Jane Eyre and The Scarlet Letter, both of which center on female resilience, she still shuns Irene.
It raises an interesting question: does knowing something intellectually always translate into compassion or understanding when faced with real-life circumstances? It seems not.
Middlemore’s treatment of Irene enraged me especially his sudden reappearance in her life, demanding she forget all the pain and shame he caused, without even acknowledging her suffering.
Ultimately, Irene is forced into “a loveless marriage, the love having been replaced by hatred,” leaving the man she truly loves in uncertainty. Does she love him? Or has he been deceived once again by a woman unable to return his affection?
Irene’s confession was one of the most moving moments for me: “My life will never be like a girl’s life again. We shall not have a thought in common.” The shift from “girlhood” to “womanhood,” given the context and Irene’s age, suggests something irreparably broken, the betrayal and loss of innocence we later came to find out. It’s a powerful reminder of the struggles women endure, and Irene’s resilience after such a horrific ordeal is inspiring.
Braddon and I seem to pose the same question: When does new love remember the old?
The story is deeply emotional, and its sad, bittersweet ending left a lasting impression on me.
August 16, 2019
Audiobook. narration dreadful, loved the story.
December 10, 2023
This novel, written seven years before her death, is so unlike her earlier and melodramatic thrillers that Braddon fans may find it long-winded and even dreary.It may nevertheless be one of her sharpest novels, as a study of the psychology of maternal love, disappointed romantic love, and of bad life choices.
Lady Mary Harling is not a possessive or unnatural mother by any means, but feels it imperative that her son should marry “well.” Marrying well for her generation meant marrying money, and where possible, a title.
Her son Conrad has a susceptible heart, and persists in falling in love with the wrong woman. The first time that he is disappointed in love, the results are disastrous, as a result of which he loses seven years of his life. The second time that he falls seriously in love, however, is even more dangerous.
The girl, Irene, loves him in return, but has a secret. Lady Mary is aware of the secret, but is bound by an earlier promise never to divulge it. She knows that this girl, too, is unworthy of her son's love, and begs her to leave Conrad alone, but Irene defies her in a scene meant for the stage rather than the leaves of a book. The question is, how will Irene reconcile her past to her future, even to herself?
How this resolves itself forms the last, and least satisfactory, part of the story. While the emotions of the three principals are explored and analysed, there is a fourth person who plays the part of companion and later chaperone who is ignored in a manner that seems incredible. So – not much sensation but plenty of story and a bit of suspense. Oddly enough, for a Braddon novel, no villains or villainesses either. Just a collection of ordinary people (though they are well-to-do) squaring up to situations they cannot handle.
Lady Mary Harling is not a possessive or unnatural mother by any means, but feels it imperative that her son should marry “well.” Marrying well for her generation meant marrying money, and where possible, a title.
Her son Conrad has a susceptible heart, and persists in falling in love with the wrong woman. The first time that he is disappointed in love, the results are disastrous, as a result of which he loses seven years of his life. The second time that he falls seriously in love, however, is even more dangerous.
The girl, Irene, loves him in return, but has a secret. Lady Mary is aware of the secret, but is bound by an earlier promise never to divulge it. She knows that this girl, too, is unworthy of her son's love, and begs her to leave Conrad alone, but Irene defies her in a scene meant for the stage rather than the leaves of a book. The question is, how will Irene reconcile her past to her future, even to herself?
How this resolves itself forms the last, and least satisfactory, part of the story. While the emotions of the three principals are explored and analysed, there is a fourth person who plays the part of companion and later chaperone who is ignored in a manner that seems incredible. So – not much sensation but plenty of story and a bit of suspense. Oddly enough, for a Braddon novel, no villains or villainesses either. Just a collection of ordinary people (though they are well-to-do) squaring up to situations they cannot handle.
April 28, 2018
Widow Lady Mary was on a long cruise, and wondered why the passenger in the next cabin never came out on deck. She would hear her sobbing at night, and her dour faced companion could often be seen running errands, but would never stop for long or give any information about her mistress. After many attempts to meet with the mystery woman, Lady Mary was finally able to slip into her cabin for a brief visit. She gradually gained the beautiful young woman’s confidence and on the last day of the cruise, assuming they would never meet again, Lady Mary solemnly vowed to never tell a soul the secret she was about to hear. When Lady Mary returned home, she soon learned that her only son, handsome, brilliant, and well-loved, had gone mad. Several years later the young woman comes into Lady Mary’s life again. First published in 1907. I listened to this novel as a free download from LibriVox .org
August 13, 2021
You know how you should not go shopping on an empty stomach, well you should not read a Mary Elizabeth Braddon book when you’re depressed. This probably is the last book I read by this author, not because she’s not good, far from it, but her books plots are really depressingly good. This was no different, suffering and agony from the beginning of the book. And don’t expect a happy ending, you’re welcome.
November 29, 2021
Celine Major is a wonderful narrator. Rating five stars.
December 29, 2021
If you want to be happy, then best to avoid this novella.
February 3, 2025
Започна доооста протяжно и ексцентрично, по едно време стана интересна - имаше тръпка! После всичко замина на кино :(
December 31, 2014
I read this obscure classic thanks to Google Books. Braddon was a Prolific British author of Victorian Gothic novels. The title of this one so intrigued me that I had to read it. Braddon's vivid description of Lady Mary sucked me into the story right from the first paragraph. I loved her writing! The story was a convoluted and somewhat predictable tale of a woman who sinned and was sinned against by a cad, and of a mother trying to find a suitable match for her love-lorn son. This book was shorter in length than most of her other books, and I got the feeling that she rushed the ending, which was outlined rather than fully described. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much and am currently reading another book by this author. Recommended to lovers of Victorian fiction for Braddon's beautiful language.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews