
audiobook
Through a series of intimate letters, the story follows a young woman whose life is shaped by the legacies of a Caribbean estate and the genteel societies of early‑nineteenth‑century England. Raised under the watchful eye of a benevolent guardian, she marries the heir of her family’s fortune, navigating the delicate balance between duty, affection, and the expectations of her mother‑in‑law. Their union carries a promise of stability, leading the couple from a modest ceremony to a hopeful new home in the fashionable seaside town of Clifton, where health and happiness seem within reach.
Yet tranquility proves fragile. The mother’s lingering possessiveness and the looming shadows of past grievances begin to stir unease, hinting at the darker forces that may soon test the couple’s resolve. As the letters unfold, listeners are invited to explore themes of love, virtue, and the subtle perils that accompany wealth and social ambition, all rendered with the gentle curiosity of a period novel.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (272K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Richard Tonsing, Mary Glenn Krause, Charlene Taylor, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2021-01-27
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
1754–1813
Writing from Norwich after years in Lisbon, this late-18th-century novelist built her stories around morality, family life, and dramatic turns of fortune. Her books include Letitia; or, the Castle without a Spectre and The Schoolmistress, works remembered for their strong ethical tone.
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