A Life's Secret (eBook)

Ellen Price, who later became widely known under her married name Mrs. Henry Wood, was an eminent Victorian author whose literary career began in the mid-nineteenth century. Born on January 17, 1814, in Worcester, England, her early exposure to the world of books came from her father, who was a glove manufacturer and a man with a library with diverse reading materials. Wood's education was enriched by her avid reading, which later served as the bedrock for her literary works. In 1836, she married Henry Wood, which led to a significant portion of her life spent in France. It was during these years that she began her career in earnest as a writer, publishing stories in various magazines. Wood's prolific writing career featured a focus on sensation novels, a genre characterized by intrigue, secrets, and intense emotional experiences. Her narrative style is characterized by a strong moral undercurrent and a depiction of domestic life fraught with challenges and tensions. 'A Life's Secret,' among her notable works, stands as a testament to her storytelling prowess, weaving together themes of ambition, industrial society, and the complexities of human relationships. Known primarily for her best-selling novel 'East Lynne', Wood penned over 30 novels, which gained her a wide readership in her time and cemented her legacy in English literature. She passed away on February 10, 1887, but her work continues to be of scholarly interest, remembered for its contributions to the landscape of 19th-century fiction.