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Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret
Book Excerpt
r yourself a remarkably lucky girl?"
The governess lifted her head from its stooping attitude, and stared wonderingly at her employer, shaking back a shower of curls. They were the most wonderful curls in the world--soft and feathery, always floating away from her face, and making a pale halo round her head when the sunlight shone through them.
"What do you mean, my dear Mrs. Dawson?" she asked, dipping her camel's-hair brush into the wet aquamarine upon the palette, and poising it carefully before putting in the delicate streak of purple which was to brighten the horizon in her pupil's sketch.
"Why, I mean, my dear, that it only rests with yourself to become Lady Audley, and the mistress of Audley Court."
Lucy Graham dropped the brush upon the picture, and flushed scarlet to the roots of her fair hair; and then grew pale again, far paler than Mrs. Dawson had ever seen her before.
"My dear, don't agitate yourself," said the surgeon's wife, soothingly; "you know that nobody asks you to marry Sir
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Although it is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian sensationalistic novels, the story is slow paced. A quarter of the way into the novel, most readers will have already guessed Lady Audley's Secret, nevertheless, the characters have to go through the process of discovering and proving the secret.
There are a few things that I thought were interesting, though some might think they were dated, such as the "denouncement" scene or the "attempted murder" scene or the "clean-up the mess" sequence of events. These scenes are classic sensational Victorian episodes that you don't see anymore in today's novels. On the other hand, there are some unexpected turns that will surprise the modern reader
When the story comes to its happy conclusion, I can't help but feel sorry for Lady Audley. Her fate just seemed a bit extreme for my taste. This is a great novel you can toss off in a couple of days.
There are a few things that I thought were interesting, though some might think they were dated, such as the "denouncement" scene or the "attempted murder" scene or the "clean-up the mess" sequence of events. These scenes are classic sensational Victorian episodes that you don't see anymore in today's novels. On the other hand, there are some unexpected turns that will surprise the modern reader
When the story comes to its happy conclusion, I can't help but feel sorry for Lady Audley. Her fate just seemed a bit extreme for my taste. This is a great novel you can toss off in a couple of days.
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What an awesome way to explain this-now I know evetyrihng!
08/26/2011
I enjoyed this very much though the story is long and may seem to be winding a little. I like it because the story is not too "melodramatic" as many of the Victorian sensation novels are, and each character is well-drawn.
01/10/2009
This book was a best seller in its time, but to me it was much too long and drawn out to qualify. I tried my best to plow through the interminable scenarios and sub-plots, and I just couldn't finish it. Perhaps the fault lies in me, not the author.
09/05/2008
Good Victorian "sensation" novel. Although not as well written as "The Woman in White", it's still an entertaining fast-paced mystery. The plot centers around the disappearance of Robert Audley's friend when both are visiting at the country estate of Robert's uncle, Lord Audley. Could the uncle's new young wife know anything about it? What secret is she hiding? Read it and find out.
03/16/2007