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A review by ladyhighwayman
East Lynne by Mrs. Henry Wood
3.0
East Lynne is a very engaging Victorian sensation novel written in 1861. If you like the works of Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon, then I also recommend Ellen Wood.
This had everything you'd expect in a Victorian sensation novel, and probably more; murder, infidelity, betrayal, disguises and more.
The story is: Lady Isabel leaves her husband and children on the grounds of her suspecting that her husband is unfaithful. It doesn't help that a cad is helping driving that point home. Isabel runs away with said cad, only to realize she's made a mistake too late.
There's also a murder mystery about. A man is accused and is on the run, but he says another man is the actual murderer, a man by the name of Thorn. Problem is, Thorn is an alias, and no one knows who he is. I pretty much figured out who the villain was from the beginning, but I had a doubt for a quick minute when the author made me think that I was wrong. Sneaky.
I'm not sure if the author wanted us to be sympathetic to Lady Isabel or not, but I definitely was. I felt sorry for her, being the victim of trickery and an overzealous imagination. I'm not a fan of the whole 'unfaithful woman being punished,' but sensation novels from this era seemed to like this theme.
All in all, an underrated classic. A chunkster, definitely, but worth it.
This had everything you'd expect in a Victorian sensation novel, and probably more; murder, infidelity, betrayal, disguises and more.
The story is: Lady Isabel leaves her husband and children on the grounds of her suspecting that her husband is unfaithful. It doesn't help that a cad is helping driving that point home. Isabel runs away with said cad, only to realize she's made a mistake too late.
There's also a murder mystery about. A man is accused and is on the run, but he says another man is the actual murderer, a man by the name of Thorn. Problem is, Thorn is an alias, and no one knows who he is. I pretty much figured out who the villain was from the beginning, but I had a doubt for a quick minute when the author made me think that I was wrong. Sneaky.
I'm not sure if the author wanted us to be sympathetic to Lady Isabel or not, but I definitely was. I felt sorry for her, being the victim of trickery and an overzealous imagination. I'm not a fan of the whole 'unfaithful woman being punished,' but sensation novels from this era seemed to like this theme.
All in all, an underrated classic. A chunkster, definitely, but worth it.