Book description
She was the bestselling author of Regency England. Admired by Jane
Austen whose fame she eclipsed and dubbed 'Our Great Maria' by Sir
Walter Scott. John Ruskin declared her work, 'The most re-readable in
existence'. Isn't it time we started reading Maria Edgeworth?
Written in 1834, Helen was the last and most psychologically
powerful of Edgeworth's novels.
Newly orphaned Helen Stanley is urged to share the home of her
childhood friend Lady Cecilia. This charming socialite, however, is
withholding secrets and soon Helen is drawn into a web of 'white lies'
and evasions that threaten not only her hopes for marriage but her
very place in society.
A fascinating panorama of Britain's political and intellectual
elite in the early 1800s and a gripping romantic drama. Helen was the
inspiration for Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters.
This edition is introduced by John Mullan, Professor of English at
UCL. John Mullan hosts the Guardian Book Club, and contributes
regularly to Newsnight Review, LRB and New Statesman.
