Other editions of book Lady Audley's Secret

It lay down in a hollow, rich with fine old timber and luxuriant pastures; and you came upon it through an avenue of limes, bordered on either side by meadows, over the high hedges of which the cattle looked inquisitively at you as you passed, wondering, perhaps, what you wanted; for there was no thorough-fare, and unless you were going to the Court you had no business there at all.At the end of this avenue there was an old arch and a clock tower, with a stupid, bewildering clock, which had only one hand—and which jumped straight from one hour to the next—and was therefore always in extremes. Through this arch you walked straight into the gardens of Audley Court.

Lady Audley is universally adored: beautiful, kind and charming, she enamours all whom she meets. It is not until the strange disappearance of widower George Talboys that her behaviour takes an odd turn. George's friend Robert Audley, Lady Audley's nephew-in-law, is on the case; upper-class layabout-turned- detective, he is determined to get to the bottom of things. Mystery, mayhem, madness and despair: Lady Audley's Secret, Braddon's most successful work, is a gripping sensation novel.

"The most sensationally successful of all the sensation novels", according to the famous literary critic John Sutherland. Wealthy estate owner sir Michael Audley willingly marries a gold-digger, his only daughter Alicia's governess Lucy nee Gray. Sir Michael's dashing, in-living orphaned nephew Robert 'Bob' returns from an Australia gold rush adventure with his new best friend George Talboys, a young father who finds his wife died in their absence. Robert is instantly attracted to Lucy, who buries her past with George by leaving him drowning in a well. Maid Phoebe's boyfriend finds out Lucy's secret and blackmails her. Later Robert comes on the trace of the truth, while accepting to marry Alicia as Michael seems infertile. But after Robert tells Michael, the consequences and the extent of deception exceed their imagination.

When Sir Michael Audley sees the beautiful Lucy Graham, he instantly falls in love. He marries her although she is only a governess, and all goes well until his nephew, barrister Robert Audley, starts to suspect that Lucy is hiding a terrible secret. In a plot that unfolds around a case of “accidental bigamy,” “Lady Audley’s Secret” is one of the most successful sensation novels of all time.

It tells the story of Lady Audley who is young, beautiful, wicked, and manipulative. In spite of her revengeful schemes and criminal acts, the author creates sympathy for the heroine as she is a victim of social injustice. Set in the Victorian period, it keeps the reader guessing till the end with its surprising twits. It is one of the most widely read novels even today.

Lady Audley's Secret, written by M.E. Braddon, is one of the greatest sensation novels in English literature. The twisted plot follows the title character who is considered to be one of the first female villains in literature. Mary Elizabeth Braddon was a prolific English writer during the 19th century. Though many of her books have faded into obscurity, classics such as Lady Audley's Secret and Aurora Floyd are still widely read today.

“For the satisfaction of the curious, we may mention that Mary Elizabeth Braddon, born in London in 1837, has written for the press, upon a great variety of subjects, since she was sixteen years old; besides having produced several plays, and a volume of poetry. Her early prose fictions – ‘Lady Lisle,’ ‘The Captain of the Vulture,’ ‘The Trail of the Serpent,’ ‘Ralph the Bailiff,’ etc., did not attract much attention; but ‘Lady Audley’s Secret,’ in which her skill as a sensational novelist was favorably exhibited, may be aid to have made her popular at a bound, and her subsequent productions have fully maintained the reputation thus established.” -American Literary Gazette and Publishers' Circular “While she always had a strong leaning toward exciting plots, many of her later books followed the modern trend of English society novels, and were as gentle and ladylike as the mildest of Mrs. Humphry War’d stories.” -The Outlook Confronting bigamy, murder and madness, Mary Elizabeth Braddon most popular novel begs the question: Can women and men ever really depend on one another, even within marriage? When young Lucy Graham marries Sir Michael Audley all seems well and good. Sir Michael is thoroughly devoted to his new bride and Lady Audley takes great pleasure in her privileged position at Audley Court. But Sir Michael's daughter Alicia is frustrated and uncomfortable with her stepmother's girlish ways. Shortly afterwards, Sir Michael's nephew, the attractive but lazy barrister Robert Audley, welcomes back to England an old friend of his, George Talboys. The pair visit the Court for some sport, where George disappears in mysterious circumstances. Robert Audley is spurred into action, taking up the case with a newfound passion and energy. Like the best detective novels, and with some wonderful melodrama thrown in for good measure, the plot unravels at a quickening pace until the truth is revealed about Lady Audley's secret.

Lady Audley's Secret was one of the first and most successful sensation novels of the late 19th century. A young gentleman of leisure, Robert Audley, is spurred into action when his friend Geroge Talboys goes missing from Audley Court. As an amateur detective, Robert travels the length and breadth of the country, only to discover that the answer to the mystery lies in the true identity of his uncle's wife, Lady Audley. True to its genre, the novel brings danger home to the private sphere of the country house and questions the unassailable boundaries of class. It is also a strident feminine criticism of the times, though debate still rages as to whether Braddon tidies her questions away too neatly at the end of the novel.

"The most sensationally successful of all the sensation novels", according to the famous literary critic John Sutherland. Wealthy estate owner sir Michael Audley willingly marries a gold-digger, his only daughter Alicia's governess Lucy née Gray. Sir Michael's dashing, in-living orphaned nephew Robert 'Bob' returns from an Australia gold rush adventure with his new best friend George Talboys, a young father who finds his wife died in their absence. Robert is instantly attracted to Lucy, who buries her past with George by leaving him drowning in a well. Maid Phoebe's boyfriend finds out Lucy's secret and blackmails her. Later Robert comes on the trace of the truth, while accepting to marry Alicia as Michael seems infertile. But after Robert tells Michael, the consequences and the extent of deception exceed their imagination.