Our Current Read:

East Lynne" by Ellen Wood ( published as Mrs. Henry Wood)

Synopsis (Via GoodReads)

When the aristocratic Lady Isabel abandons her husband and children for her wicked seducer, more is at stake than moral retribution. Ellen Wood played upon the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family. In her novel the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and adultery.

Ellen Wood was an English novelist (published under the name of Mrs. Henry Wood). Born Ellen Price in Worcester, England in 1814, she married Henry Wood in 1836. The couple lived in the South of France for 20 years, until her husband’s business interests faild. The Woods returned to England, and settled outside of London. Ellen began to write again to support the family. She wrote over 30 novels in her lifetime. In some areas of the world, her book sales and popularity surpassed those of Charles Dickens, yet her name has largely been lost to literary history.

Wood also purchased the English magazine Argosy in 1867. She wrote much of the magazine herself, but included articles written by popular female writers of the time. Wood continued as the publication’s editor until her death in 1887.