The Sealed Letter (English)

This scintillating historical novel from Emma Donoghue examines the scandalous details of a real-life divorce which riveted the whole of England in 1864. Emily Faithfull has settled into a comfortable niche as a feminist spinster, churning out pamphlets supporting women's suffrage, when her former best friend Helen Codrington returns from Malta trapped in an unhappy military marriage. Emily soon finds herself acting as an unwilling accomplice to the adulterous Helen, who eventually does what was then almost unthinkable--she files for divorce. In the courtroom, the innuendo and accusations begin to build against Helen, as her husband's lawyers accuse her of having a lesbian affair with Emily. Donoghue manages to keep readers riveted with a systematic revelation of the titillating details of the scandal, while imparting a wealth of facts and knowledge about 19th century England and the early feminist movement. minimize