Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles

by Mrs. Henry Wood

After the unfortunate death of the Halliburton family patriarch, Mrs. Halliburton is forced to support her children alone. Living in a man-favoring society, Mrs. Halliburton struggles to find adequate work that will not compromise her morals and still earn her a decent pay. Having been the wife of a church cleric, Mrs. Halliburton holds a natural and strong reverence for her religion. As her family struggles through poverty, scandal, shame, and grieve, Mrs. Halliburton feels that her faith is among the few things that cannot be taken from her. However, as she allows her religion to guide her, still barely able to provide for her three children, her cousins, the Dares, hold much different standards. Contrasted with her extended family, who live by a code of convivence, Mrs. Halliburton holds her head high and she attempts to redeem her family from their social ruin to achieve a comfortable lifestyle once again. Inspired by some of Mrs. Henry Wood’s own struggles, Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles contains an authentic and touching narrative of self-help and faith. Through the portrayal of Mrs. Halliburton’s virtuous character and the classic rags-to-riches storyline, Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles aims to be an inspirational lesson and promotes moral behavior and faith. Though based in Victorian ideals, this message still holds relevance for modern audiences, for both self-reflection and insight into this historic period. With the detailed depiction of the class system of Victorian England, and the transition between them, Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles provides a personal and thorough perspective of the social order of the mid-to-late 19th century. This edition of Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles by Mrs. Henry Wood now features an eye-catching new cover design and is printed in a font that is both modern and readable. With these accommodations, this edition of Mrs. Halliburton’s Troubles creates an accessible and pleasant reading experience for modern audiences while restoring the original mastery and drama of Mrs. Henry Wood’s work.

588 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1862

About the author

Ellen Wood (née Price) was an English novelist, better known as "Mrs Henry Wood". She wrote over 30 novels, many of which (especially East Lynne), enjoyed remarkable popularity. Among the best known of her stories are Danesbury House, Oswald Cray, Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles, The Channings, Lord Oakburn's Daughters and The Shadow of Ashlydyat. For many years, she worked as the proprietor and editor of the Argosy.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not Mrs. Henry Wood's best book. I've read East Lynn and The Channings so far and they were much better. Still, this is absolutely worth reading if you're into didactic, domestic Victorian novels. Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles spans three generations for no particular reason. The narrative structure is that of a serial novel where the author filled space by grabbing any narrative thread she could swing from and riding it to the end. Jane Halliburton's father dies bringing a bowl of beef tea to the Widow Booth's slutty daughter, who is also dying, and I thought that Miss Booth would come round at the end and bestow financial gratitude on Jane Halliburton, relieving her of her troubles, but everybody moves to Helstonleigh and leaves their impoverished London neighbors to Dickens. Mrs. Halliburton's troubles mount: The lawyer Dare puts an uncouth man into the Halliburtons' home to see that they don't sell their furniture to pay their debts. Everyone eats bread and potatoes multiple times a day. A child dies. But by the middle of the book, Mrs. Halliburton's troubles are over through a combination of Protestant hard work and long, didactic passages about faith. Then it's all about her son, William Halliburton, and his faith and hard work. There are also some partially resolved passages about the working class neighbors. Mrs. Henry Wood really doesn't think the working class works hard enough, and she will tell you at length what she thinks they should be doing. William Halliburton tells them too, and that fixes them. Then there's a murder that the Halliburtons aren't even involved in. The murderer is pretty obvious but everyone thinks it's Herbert Dare, the son of the lawyer Dare, who did not raise his children properly and is befuddled as to why they're all wastrels. That's a good twenty percent of the book. So, not the best but definitely interesting if you're willing to read a five hundred page book for the journey not the destination.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Mrs Wood's sensation novels but this was one of her more domestic novels and a vehicle for her own somewhat simplistic philosophy of life (an unquestioning trust in God will overcome all obstacles and hard work will always be rewarded in the end). It is quite readable and the good solid God-fearing characters are surprisingly likeable but it is bogged down by constant moralising and the author even preaches directly to the reader at several points in the book.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Victorian novel really is a baggy monster, meandering around all over the place, with a lot of different stories which don't really fit together. Some parts are gripping, especially a courtroom drama in the third volume, but other sections drag, and there is a lot of sermonising. Really one for die-hard readers of Victorian novels only.

[Christi]

I was expecting something a bit racier from the author of East Lynne, so the novel was rather disappointing. It was basically a less interesting version of John Halifax, Gentleman. I read it before bedtime to help me fall asleep.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mrs Henry Wood's novels, particularly when they're clearly set in Worcester (my home town). This one is perhaps not my favourite but still thoroughly enjoyable.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an older version of this book, hardback published in the early 1900's and I found it to be an interesting view of life, business and family in the mid to late 1800's when it was originally published. I feel that people should always read the more obscure older books to get some more insights as to what life was like before everyone had access to time saving technology and credit lines that were easy to get.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preachy but compelling.

[Patrizia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mrs Henry Wood ha scritto più di trenta romanzi, lungo un arco di tempo che ha coperto la seconda metà dell'ottocento: non c'era da aspettarsi che potessero essere tutti avvincenti come 'East Lynne', e di certo questo non lo era. Mrs Alliburton, i cui lutti e i cui problemi occupano gran parte delle pagine, viene presentata dall'autrice come un fulgido esempio di religiosità e rettitudine, e possiamo seguire le sue vicende dal momento in cui incontra il futuro marito fino a quello in cui assiste orgogliosa al successo nella vita dei suoi tre figli, modelli di perfezione come la madre. Il lungo, scontato svolgersi degli eventi è appena appena turbato da un minimo 'giallo', un omicidio il cui colpevole sarà rivelato solo nelle ultime pagine, quando tutti i cattivi troveranno implacabilmente (uno per uno) la loro punizione.