Reviews with content warning for Murder - Lady Audley's Secret

One of the most surprising stories in classics I’ve read.
I was expecting a romance, but I was faced with a mystery with very deep, candid, gray characters.
Grief, depression, selfishness, and really beautiful friendships as well as twisted relationships.
It was really interesting story and book, sometimes slow but mostly intense, and in the end it worked out as it was supposed to, just like in the real world where people make evil, bad, naive, and stupid decisions.

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aimee's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mariebrunelm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm often cautious when it comes to classics, as I find some of them dull and hard to read. This one held my attention, and I was really happy to have discovered it.

Lady Audley's Secret is a mystery novel with a hint of Gothic and feminism. It is steeped in the prejudices and discriminations of its time, but also offers a nuanced view that was quite welcome. For instance, it places female beauty on a pedestal, but questions the relation between beauty and moral values. It tells the story of wealthy people, but also includes a couple of poor characters (the treatment of which leaves to be desired, but deserves to be noted nevertheless).

At the heart of the story is the mysterious disappearance of a barrister's best friend shortly after he came back from Australia, and how this may or may not be related to the wedding of an old lord with a young a pretty governess (this part is sometimes very uncomfortable when the lord refers to his wife as his child, keep that in mind). The author finds a balance between the barrister's prejudice towards women and the point of view of the young lady, which represents half of the narration. The suspense may not last long for modern readers, but it's the kind of story where you are given some final clues at the very end, so that even if you can guess some elements, you really get the full picture at the time of the final reveal.

Overall, it may not be a new favourite, but it's a book I enjoyed and would recommend with the caveat stated above.

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srm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What a delight! I loved this even more on the second reading! Robert Audley is absolutely hilarious.

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