The Cloven Foot

by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Publication date: 1879 Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

Genres: Classics

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1879

About the author

Mary 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.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining Victorian Sensation Novel. This one has it all: an odd stipulation in a will; a trashy French dancer; hidden identities; murder; marriage legalities; and startling revelations. Fans of Mary Elizabeth Braddon will not be disappointed with this one. Lots of fun.

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mary Elizabeth Braddon, but this one wasn't a great read. I gave it three stars because she writes in a very catchy way and even if it's not a great read and you know it, you want anyway to see how it ends.
As usual, there's someone who commits bigamy, a murder, a case of double identity and other typical ingredients of a sensation novel. But it takes a lot to arrive to the murder.

[Gilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pace is much slower than Lady Audley's Secret, but the plot and characters of this suspense tale/murder mystery are well-developed and entertaining. The more of Braddon's works I read, the more I love her.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As per the blurb, there were many, many typos, errors and a couple of places where the text was out of order. At times it was hard to work out what a particular sentence should actually have said. With the benefit of hindsight I would have paid more for a decent version.

John Treverton will inherit a large estate from his estranged uncle, provided that he marries Laura, his uncle's ward/adopted daughter, within a year after the death. But... is John free to marry?

An enjoyable story, with lots of twists and turns and comic relief provided by Laura's friend Celia. Morally troubling to me in that John's extremely foolish, cowardly and duplicitous behaviour was so readily forgiven by all his friends once it became apparent that circumstances had prevented him from committing bigamy (even though he had intended to) and he hadn't actually murdered La Chicot (even though he wasn't willing to allow the courts to determine this). Not sure what Laura saw in him. Also not entirely convinced George's marriage will be a happy one, but on his own head be it!

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A choice by my book club, this Victorian pulp mystery lives up to that designation. It's never-ending, like Dickens, with little of the literary or narrative charm or depth. The story is obvious and lugubrious, and I just couldn't finish it.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining (if predictable) read from Mrs Braddon. Bigamy,murder and blackmail and a hiss and boo villain. What more could you want rom a sensation novel?

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars because the writing is well done and the mystery has a sufficient number of twists and turns ... I plan to read more of her novels.

[Fiona Brichaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a vicious crime lies at the heart of this story, it is less sensational than some other Braddon novels. I enjoyed it none the less for this. There's an amoral French dancer, bigamy and crime, treachery and envy (trying to avoid spoilers). But essentially the novel is about marriage. Bad marriages entered into lightly with unsuitable partners, which quickly turn sour and become a misery for all involved, and end in disaster. Contrasted with solid marriages based on mutual interests and values, a similar social background, trust and loyalty.

The one thing I don't understand is the title, The Cloven Foot. It is clearly a reference to the devil. But if it is, is it purely a sensationalist title to sell more books? I can't see that any of the characters are being presented as devilish. Greedy, cheating and violent, yes, but not pure evil as one might associate with the devil.

The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable defines "To show the cloven foot, i.e. to show a knavish intention, a base motive." In this light, it's more understandable, as the possible - and possibly base - motives of at least three characters are explored.