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Published in USA
Sep 2008
416 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
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. Distracted from her cause by the sudden return of her 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. What begins as a loyal effort to help a friend explodes into a courtroom drama that rivals the Clinton affair —complete with stained clothing, 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.
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"Starred Review. Donoghue's latest has style and scandal to burn. " - Publishers Weekly.
"Uncharacteristically dull work from one of contemporary literature's most interesting and entertaining writers. " - Kirkus Reviews.
"It's an engrossing tale, and Donoghue's ability to steep the reader in the realities of the time makes her story ring true." - Library Journal.
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Born in Dublin, Ireland, in October 1969, Emma Donoghue is the youngest of eight children of Frances and Denis Donoghue (the literary critic). She attended Catholic convent schools in Dublin, apart from one eye-opening year in New York at the age of ten. In 1990 she earned a first-class honours BA in English and French from University College Dublin (unfortunately, without learning to actually speak French). She moved to England, and in 1997 received her PhD (on the concept of friendship between men and women in eighteenth-century English fiction) from the University of Cambridge. From the age of 23, she has earned her living as a writer, and has been lucky enough to never have an 'honest job' since she was sacked after a single summer month as a chambermaid. After years of commuting ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Emma Donoghue's Website
Name Pronunciation
Emma Donoghue: don-a-hue
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