Showing results by author "Mary Braddon" in All Categories

A selection of 17 classic stories of horror and the supernatural by some of the greatest writers in the genre. This compilation includes a mix of well-known classics by authors such as Charles Dickens and M. R. James, alongside several unjustly overlooked gems by less familiar names who were hugely popular and prolific in their day.

A heartwarming festive tale of redemption and cheer, The Christmas Hirelings is the story of a lonely widower who reluctantly invites a group of children to his manor for Christmas. It showcases the benefits of opening your doors and hearts during the holiday season.

Can starving children truly find gratitude in the education they receive when their pleas for food are met with indifference? This poignant psychological novel delves into that very question. Lady Lashmore epitomizes the upper class, managing her household with an iron fist while expressing disdain for the impoverished factory workers just ten miles away. However, everything shifts when her son, Lord Lashmore, falls in love with a woman from the working class. This transformative experience opens his eyes to the true needs of the less fortunate, leading him on a journey of maturity, empathy, ...

A chilling collection of classic gothic horror and ghost stories adapted or written by women In this breathtaking collection of gothic horror and eerie tales, draw the curtains and pull the blankets close for two classic Victorian horror tales in new adaptations, Dracula starring Nicky Henson...

Immerse yourself in this exquisite and heart-wrenching love story. Violet Tempest and Roderick Vawdrey, known affectionately as Vixen and Rorie, are childhood sweethearts whose bond faces the ultimate test. Rories family has other plans for him, pushing him towards a marriage that threatens to tear them apart. While it may seem like a familiar tale of star-crossed lovers, this novel delves deeper, exploring the complex reality of relationships beyond the initial spark of love. It captures the earnest struggle of loving someone while navigating the weight of familial duties and societal ...

In Lovels of Arden, a young Englishwoman returns home after years of studying abroad, only to discover that her life is far from the fairy tale she envisioned. Clarissa Lovel confronts not only a father grappling with emotional and financial struggles but also her first encounter with love—a perspective that challenges her in unexpected ways. (Summary by Cathy Barratt)

In Dead Love Has Chains, we explore yet another dimension of Mary Elizabeth Braddons remarkable talent, crafted in her seventies. This novel delves deep into character and human psychology, setting it apart from her more conventional works centered on detection and crime. The story follows Irene Thelliston, a pregnant and unmarried woman sent back from India to live with her Aunt in Ireland. During her sea voyage, she confides in Lady Mary Harling, who promises to keep her secret safe. Years later, Lady Mary is horrified to discover that Irene is now engaged to her son, Conrad, who harbors his...

Meet Aurora Floyd, the stunning daughter of a wealthy banker and a talented actress. Fresh from a prestigious finishing school in Paris, she possesses beauty, intelligence, and fortune. However, her life takes a tumultuous turn when two men fall for her, only to uncover a dark secret from her past. As they grapple with her history, the question remains who will remain loyal when the truth emerges? With a cast of unforgettable characters, the author weaves a captivating domestic drama that probes profound themes Is it right to love someone who has deceived you? Can we truly forgive the ...

Almost always when we think of Ghost Stories, we first think of those written by the Victorians. Whatever the reasons given or proffered the reality and known facts are that if you want a really good ghost story to bring that edge of chill, that foreboding of dread, that feeling that in an empty house we are not quite alone and that sometimes the sharp, sheer shock of what just happened is upon us then look no further than ‘The Victorian Ghost Story’ for your listening pleasure.

From the author of The Christmas Hirelings comes this Audible Exclusive production of Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s classic sensation novel Lady Audley’s Secret. English actress Olivia Poulet gives an assured and captivating narration; a cornerstone of the genre and a scandal at the time of its publication, Lady Audley’s Secret is an entertaining and shocking tale of high drama and shifting perceptions.

Almost always when we think of Ghost Stories, we first think of those written by the Victorians. If you want a really good ghost story to bring that edge of chill, that foreboding of dread, that feeling that in an empty house we are not quite alone and that sometimes the sharp, sheer shock of what just happened is upon us then look no further than ‘The Victorian Ghost Story’ for your reading and listening pleasure.

This Victorian best seller, along with Braddon's other famous novel, Aurora Floyd, established her as the main rival of the master of the sensational novel, Wilkie Collins. A protest against the passive, insipid 19th-century heroine, Lady Audley was described by one critic of the time as "high-strung, full of passion, purpose, and movement." Her crime (the secret of the title) is shown to threaten the apparently respectable middle-class world of Victorian England.

Lady Audley is universally adored: Beautiful, kind and charming, she enamors all whom she meets. It is not until the strange disappearance of widower George Talboys that her behavior takes an odd turn. George's friend, Robert Audley, Lady Audley's nephew-in-law, is on the case; an upper-class layabout turned detective, he is determined to get to the bottom of things.

Weathering critical scorn, Lady Audley's Secret quickly established Mary Elizabeth Braddon as the leading light of Victorian 'sensation' fiction, sharing the honour only with Wilkie Collins. Addictive, cunningly plotted and certainly sensational, Lady Audley's Secret draws on contemporary theories of insanity to probe mid-Victorian anxieties about the rapid rise of consumer culture. What is the mystery surrounding the charming heroine?

A fast-paced Victorian thriller that will delight audiences today as it did 100 years ago, Lady Audley's Secret has subterfuge, kidnapping, jealousy, and fraud, all thrown into the mix and shaken up for good measure.

A mystery which keeps a listener guessing until the last moments, this production is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys playing detective.

Mary Elizabeth Braddon was one of the most important and influential female novelists of the 19th Century, and the founder (alongside Wilkie Collins) of the popular 'sensation fiction' genre. This collection features her best-known novel, Lady Audley's Secret, a thrilling tale of bigamy, murder and arson that outraged Victorian society on its first release—and was an instant bestseller. Also included are two atmospheric short stories and an edition of Sensational Women exploring her life and work.

Step beyond the lamplight and into the gilded darkness of a vanished world. Ghost Stories from the Gilded Age is a classic ghost story anthology featuring eerie tales by female authors who defied convention—Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Edith Wharton, Kate Chopin, and more. Narrated by an all-star ensemble of Audie, SOVAS, and One Voice award winners and nominees, this haunting audiobook collection blends Gothic elegance with supernatural unease.

A village in Cornwall is thrown into turmoil after a young girl falls from a train to her death. Was this an accident? Or murder? The mystery deepens when clues link the girl to a double homicide committed ten years earlier. Braddon's sensational novel takes us to the estates of aristocrats, the haunts of tabloid writers, the homes of Bohemian artists, and the dark alleyways of Paris. Braddon, one of Victorian England's best-selling novelists, is at the height of her powers in Wyllard's Weird.

Cunning. Corrupt. Charismatic. The degenerate characters in this collection shun conventional morality, and will stop at nothing to get what they want... These five sensational dramas, set in locations ranging from 16th century Venice to Victorian England, revolve around their unscrupulous actions – and the devastating consequences of the choices they make.

Darkness falls. The undead rise to feast on the succulent blood of the living. For years vampires have fascinated great writers of the occult such as De Maupassant, Count Stenbock, E Nesbit and EF Benson. This is The Story Circle's collection of some of their spine-chilling tales told by award-winning actors.