The Sealed Letter
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.27 (972 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0547247761 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-05-18 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
((4.5 stars) A more demur style from Donoghue and a smaller scope but a fasinating historical tale of trust and divorce Lilly Flora There is no doubt that divorce is a blame game at the heart of it. Nor is there any doubt that there is a single person in this country who hasn't had experience with divorce in some way-either personal experience or from their own or their parent's divorcing or friends, family members or neighbors. Hey, we even get to participate vicariously in celebrity divorces these days. Since divorce was first legalized hundreds of years ago it has morphed from a rare and tragic event to just another method of mass entertainment and ultimately a way to feel superior to those who failed at what is culturally viewed as one of. .5 stars) A more demur style from Donoghue and a smaller scope but a fasinating historical tale of trust and divorce There is no doubt that divorce is a blame game at the heart of it. Nor is there any doubt that there is a single person in this country who hasn't had experience with divorce in some way-either personal experience or from their own or their parent's divorcing or friends, family members or neighbors. Hey, we even get to participate vicariously in celebrity divorces these days. Since divorce was first legalized hundreds of years ago it has morphed from a rare and tragic event to just another method of mass entertainment and ultimately a way to feel superior to those who failed at what is culturally viewed as one of. "A splendid read" according to Deborah Peifer. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has read any of Emma Donoghue's earlier novels that The Sealed Letter is an astonishingly well written and compelling novel. Based on a notorious nineteenth century divorce case, The Sealed Letter explores ideas about friendship and feminism, marriage and motherhood, honor and dishonor with wit, compassion and eloquence. I will call The Sealed Letter a courtroom drama as long as you promise not to imagine for a moment that there is anything of the formulaic in Donoghue's sure hand. A book to read and reread, to savor for its language and its history, its compelling char. Alison Redpath said An unusual historic novel. Intetresting theme, well set in the historic context. Gripping tory
As Donoghue (Slammerkin) deliciously unspools the twisted roots of their intimacy, Emily soon finds herself party to Helen's clandestine affair and snared in the sensational divorce proceedings that ensue (and which are based on an actual case from the period). . All rights reserved. From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Period details—etiquette, typesetting, dress, medical treatments, public amusements, shipping and jurisprudence—are rendered with a spare exactitude organic to the story. In 1864 London, after a separation of seven years, Helen, now the wife of Vice-Admiral Codrington, bumps into her old friend Emily Faithful, now a well-known feminist and independent printer. Characters indulge in pleasures at which Victo
Miss Emily "Fido" Faithfull is a "woman of business" and a spinster pioneer in the British women’s movement, independent of mind but naively trusting of heart. What begins as a loyal effort to help a friend explodes into an intriguing courtroom drama complete with accusations of adultery, counterclaims of rape, and a mysterious letter that could destroy more than one life. Based on a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864, The Sealed Letter is a riveting, provocative drama of friends, lovers, and divorce, Victorian-style. . Distracted from her cause by the sudden return of a once-dear friend, the unhappily wed Helen Codrington, Fido is swept up in the intimate details of Helen’s failing marriage and obsessive affair with a young army officer