Corsets, those Draconian undergarments that made it impossible for women to have any freedom of movement, represent what life was like in Britain’s Victorian era. Women couldn’t vote, own property, and were totally dominated by their fathers and husbands. The only book women were allowed to read, Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, dictated a wife’s responsibilities. Novels by authors like Jane Austen were banned because – horrors! – women might actually begin to think for themselves. A wife who resisted her husband’s rules might be declared “hysterical” and sent off to the local insane asylum.
In author notes, Madeline Martin says that she became fascinated with what women were faced with in 18th and 19th century England. Queen Victoria may have been the nation’s ruler, but few women enjoyed her freedom to carve out a path for themselves and their children. Some women did push back, at great personal risk.
Lady Duxbury, who survived three husbands, sets out to help women avoid what she had to endure, forced to marry men she didn’t love. Her second husband was responsible for the death of her son. Books, Lady Duxbury, believes, hold the key to a woman’s independence. And since she has an extensive library, she invites three women to an afternoon tea. “You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society,” the missive says, cautioning the women to “hold this correspondence in there strictest of confidence.”
A keen observer of character, Lady Duxbury has selected the women carefully. Eleanor’s husband, Cecil, is a cruel and violent man. He only allows her to see their son twice a week. When she steps out of line, he beats her. He even has her clothes made and dictates what she should wear. Rose Wharton comes from a wealthy American family. Her marriage to a viscount gave her a title and her husband’s family desperately needed funds. Her brother-in-law, Byron, was in line to become count, but he’s now dying and Theodore, Rose’s husband, needs to step forward. Byron despises Rose and constantly bullies her for her American ways. Finally, there’s Lavinia Cavendish, who worries that her passionate demeanor will have her follow her grandmother’s path into an insane asylum.
For these three women, Lady Duxbury’s townhouse becomes a sanctuary, a place where they can form female friendships, supporting each other, while enjoying the many books in the home’s library. Choosing what to read is like being in a candy store. How to choose? There’s Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and many more. The women are allowed to take the books home with them but cautioned about letting anyone see what they are reading.
There’s one book that Lady Duxbury allows only one woman, Eleanor, to read – the diary that she kept throughout her years as a young women and during her marriages. While Lady Duxbury is a respected member of society, many wonder about her past, specifically, did she kill her husbands? Eleanor also learns that Lady Alice Meddleson was responsible for keeping Lady Duxbury from marrying Elias, the love of her life and the father of her child. Since Lady Meddleson is still an active member of British society, Eleanor knows she must proceed cautiously.
The Victorian Age might have been known for its glitz and glamour. But women rarely were granted the freedoms that wouldn’t have allowed them to fully enjoy themselves. And while Eleanor, Rose, and Lavinia were denied many opportunities, women who were lower on the social scale fared even worse. The most horrifying scenes in the book are in the insane asylum where most of the women were imprisoned improperly. Rather than being treated, they were abused and drugged.
In the end, what saves all the women is the friendships they have formed under Lady Duxbury’s guidance. And Lady Duxbury is still on a mission, finding other women who can join her Secret Book Society.
The Secret Book Society
Madeline Martin
Top photo: Bigstock
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