Lady Audley's Secret - A Review

Lady Audley's Secret
By- Mary Elizabeth Braddon
(Oxford World's Classics)

"Lady Audley's Secret" was first published in serial form in 1861. By 1862 it had become immensely popular and has remained a favorite novel among readers of Victorian Popular Fiction.

The story begins as Miss Lucy Graham, a beautiful and mysterious governess, meets the wealthy widower, Sir Michael Audley. Sir Audley falls desperately in love with Lucy and begs her to marry him.

Lucy agrees to the marriage, but doesn't tell Michael she is already married to a man she hasn't seen in three years and believes him to be dead.

Lucy's husband, George Talboys, unexpectedly, returns home to find his wife's father has declared her dead and buried. This is where the mystery begins! Does George find his wife who has married another man? What will happen if and when he does?

I've read several Victorian novels in the past, but this is definitely one of my favorites. It has everything a good read should have--romance, murder, suspense, a surprise ending. It is fast moving and holds the reader's interest.

The author has become one of my favorites and I'll certainly look for more of her books in the future. Expect more reviews to come.

Remembering Tasha Tudor

"Einstein said that time is like a river, it flows in bends. If we could only step back around the turns, we could travel in either direction. I'm sure it's possible. When I die, I'm going right back to the 1830s. I'm not even afraid of dying. I think it must be quite exciting." ~Tasha Tudor

Do you remember Tasha Tudor?

Once upon a time, when I was a young mother, I became a devoted fan of the illustrious artist. She mesmerized me, as she captured in watercolor, the heart and soul of childhood, in all its whimsy, and sweet innocence.

Recently I took a trip along memory lane and revisited Ms. Tudor in the gorgeous book "Tasha Tudor's Garden." What a pure delight to catch a glimpse, once more, of this self-sufficient lady; to walk in her gardens and visit her rustic home through these pages.

Although Ms. Tudor did not live in the Victorian era, she felt and lived as though she did. Modern conveniences seemed to never interest her. Her lifestyle was legendary and still is--it was magical and spilled over into her many books, including "Corgiville Christmas", her award winning "Mother Goose" and "1 is One."

In "Tasha Tudor's Garden" the reader will find:

*A Garden Lost In Time"

*Flowers In Profusion"

*Daisy Garlands and Delphiniums

*Lilies and Berries to Spare

*Gathering the Harvest

*and much more

This book is filled with color photographs of the famous artist and her lifestyle. If you like the magic of the 1800s, you are certain to enjoy this beautiful book and an intimate visit with an exceptional lady, who actually lived between 1915-2008, but surely was from another period of time--the 1800s.