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Wife in Name Only
"[...] He tried to smile and say something about hope; but Nurse Furney knew, and she turned away lest the sick woman's questioning eyes should read what her face betrayed. Three o'clock struck. A sweet voice, abrupt and clear, broke the silence of the solemn scene. "Hubert. Where is Hubert? I must see him." "Tell him to come," said Dr. Evans to Dr. Letsom, "but do not tell him there is any danger."[...]".
137 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1883
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204 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte M. Brame
136 books10 followersCharlotte Mary Brame (middle name sometimes given as Monica, last name sometimes spelled Braeme) was an English author of romantic novels. She also wrote under the pseudonym Bertha M. Clay.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 16, 2019
I'm a compulsive HR reader. Most of the historical romances I read take place in the 1700s or 1800s but were written in the 1990s up to present day. So this one is quite the oddity for me. It's an HR written in 1876 and was actually a contemporary romance in its day. As such, it's nice not to find anachronisms in speech, behavior and title use, but the story itself is very heavy on melodrama and can be very tedious for the modern reader.
If you can get over that melodrama and also the slow pacing of the story, you just might find this as entertaining and educational as I did. I say "might" because a reader used to the breezier, sexier, more anachronistic modern style of writing may very well say "This is not for me." And it doesn't help that there are lots of misspellings and formatting issues in this Kindle version.
But I enjoyed this for the historical aspect of it. The English author of this book, Charlotte Brame, lived from 1836-1884. In 1863 she married and had seven children with an alcoholic and unsuccessful businessman. Charlotte had to do something to support the family and took to writing romances, most of them, as was customary in Victorian times, in installment form in English periodicals, often reprinted in the U.S. under the pseudonym Bertha M. Clay. (BTW, Bertha Clay was one of the most popular writers of the day in the U.S. but, unfortunately, her work was pirated there and Brame didn't receive many royalties.)
But back to this novel, which was published in installments from November 1876 to some time in 1877. It has some twists and turns, an interesting way of developing the story and introducing the characters but can be a bit exasperating because of some characters' actions and all the melodramatic tropes to be found. To give her credit, readers then wanted these and many authors today use them all in romances.
So what have we got in this novel? Well, there's misalliance, unrequited love, an abducted heiress, obsession, jealousy, and revenge. A lot of the story development depends on coincidence, lies and misunderstanding, the huge divide between the social classes, one obsessed and vengefully manipulative woman, and one particularly dense hero (Norman, Lord Arleigh, what is your I.Q. anyway?) As I said, it's a good read for those curious about Victorian romances actually written in Victorian times.
If you can get over that melodrama and also the slow pacing of the story, you just might find this as entertaining and educational as I did. I say "might" because a reader used to the breezier, sexier, more anachronistic modern style of writing may very well say "This is not for me." And it doesn't help that there are lots of misspellings and formatting issues in this Kindle version.
But I enjoyed this for the historical aspect of it. The English author of this book, Charlotte Brame, lived from 1836-1884. In 1863 she married and had seven children with an alcoholic and unsuccessful businessman. Charlotte had to do something to support the family and took to writing romances, most of them, as was customary in Victorian times, in installment form in English periodicals, often reprinted in the U.S. under the pseudonym Bertha M. Clay. (BTW, Bertha Clay was one of the most popular writers of the day in the U.S. but, unfortunately, her work was pirated there and Brame didn't receive many royalties.)
But back to this novel, which was published in installments from November 1876 to some time in 1877. It has some twists and turns, an interesting way of developing the story and introducing the characters but can be a bit exasperating because of some characters' actions and all the melodramatic tropes to be found. To give her credit, readers then wanted these and many authors today use them all in romances.
So what have we got in this novel? Well, there's misalliance, unrequited love, an abducted heiress, obsession, jealousy, and revenge. A lot of the story development depends on coincidence, lies and misunderstanding, the huge divide between the social classes, one obsessed and vengefully manipulative woman, and one particularly dense hero (Norman, Lord Arleigh, what is your I.Q. anyway?) As I said, it's a good read for those curious about Victorian romances actually written in Victorian times.
August 24, 2012
"Wife in Name Only" by Charlotte M. Brame is fairly typical of the "dime novel" genre (though lacking the usual rich Americans). It starts off with a young nobleman (startlingly, the heir to an Earldom, not a Baronetcy), travelling incognito with his heavily pregnant wife. They arrive in a small village (in England) and she is in a bad way. She gives birth and then dies. The nobleman leaves the baby with the village doctor and continues on his way to Italy to see his probably-dying father (who doesn't know about his marriage and would disapprove if he did), promising to return in three years for the child (who must be named Madaline, after her now-dead mother).
The new earl (his father having died in the meantime) returns, his child has vanished, no-one knows where. He hires detectives, takes out newspaper advertisements, but to no avail. (All of this takes up five and a half chapters, and would probably be condensed into five and a half pages of prologue in a modern novel.)
Now the scene, time and characters change. Enter Lady Philippa, who considers herself betrothed (by maternal fancies, no more) to Lord Arleigh. And the same Lord Arleigh, who considers himself no such thing. Cue seven and a half chapters of her angsting about but he must love her and him not loving her. Eventually they have it out and she decides that he has spurned her and she must have revenge.
Philippa marries a duke who loves her, though she doesn't him. Accidentally, she comes across Madaline - who doesn't know who she is, and thinks her foster-parents are her real parents. Her foster-father has recently been convicted of theft and is in jail. Philippa reckons that Arleigh is likely to fall in love with this now-young-lady, so takes her into her household. Arleigh sees her and does. Eventually, they are married, despite her being of low birth (so they all think). (Eleven chapters.)
Darling Philippa sends Arleigh a "wedding present" of the "truth" about his wife, that she is a felon's daughter (he didn't know this previously, thanks to P's machinations). He immediately decides that she must be his wife in name only (finally, in chapter 26, the book's title makes sense!), for he cannot smirch his noble lineage by bringing the children of a criminal into it. Arleigh and Madaline separate (not without strenuous protests from her), but both are so vastly in love that they pine horribly. (Another seven chapters.)
Arleigh goes to Scotland after a while, and almost dies in a rainstorm, but is rescued by...his wife's father. They become friends, but fail to share enough of their individual troubles to realise the truth of their situation. Meanwhile, the unfortunate Madaline is going into a decline (of course). Arleigh visits Madaline's supposed father in prison, in the hope that he might have been falsely accused, but no such luck. (Six chapters.)
In due course, both Madaline's father and her foster-mother visit the area where she is living, and bump into each other. A bit more angst, and All Is Revealed over two more chapters (with fainting). They publish the truth to the world, leaving out only Philippa's role in it all. Philippa is overcome with remorse and visits them to ask forgiveness, which they (of course) bestow, and all ends happily in chapter 40.
It's really an incredibly silly book, but it has a certain weird charm.
The new earl (his father having died in the meantime) returns, his child has vanished, no-one knows where. He hires detectives, takes out newspaper advertisements, but to no avail. (All of this takes up five and a half chapters, and would probably be condensed into five and a half pages of prologue in a modern novel.)
Now the scene, time and characters change. Enter Lady Philippa, who considers herself betrothed (by maternal fancies, no more) to Lord Arleigh. And the same Lord Arleigh, who considers himself no such thing. Cue seven and a half chapters of her angsting about but he must love her and him not loving her. Eventually they have it out and she decides that he has spurned her and she must have revenge.
Philippa marries a duke who loves her, though she doesn't him. Accidentally, she comes across Madaline - who doesn't know who she is, and thinks her foster-parents are her real parents. Her foster-father has recently been convicted of theft and is in jail. Philippa reckons that Arleigh is likely to fall in love with this now-young-lady, so takes her into her household. Arleigh sees her and does. Eventually, they are married, despite her being of low birth (so they all think). (Eleven chapters.)
Darling Philippa sends Arleigh a "wedding present" of the "truth" about his wife, that she is a felon's daughter (he didn't know this previously, thanks to P's machinations). He immediately decides that she must be his wife in name only (finally, in chapter 26, the book's title makes sense!), for he cannot smirch his noble lineage by bringing the children of a criminal into it. Arleigh and Madaline separate (not without strenuous protests from her), but both are so vastly in love that they pine horribly. (Another seven chapters.)
Arleigh goes to Scotland after a while, and almost dies in a rainstorm, but is rescued by...his wife's father. They become friends, but fail to share enough of their individual troubles to realise the truth of their situation. Meanwhile, the unfortunate Madaline is going into a decline (of course). Arleigh visits Madaline's supposed father in prison, in the hope that he might have been falsely accused, but no such luck. (Six chapters.)
In due course, both Madaline's father and her foster-mother visit the area where she is living, and bump into each other. A bit more angst, and All Is Revealed over two more chapters (with fainting). They publish the truth to the world, leaving out only Philippa's role in it all. Philippa is overcome with remorse and visits them to ask forgiveness, which they (of course) bestow, and all ends happily in chapter 40.
It's really an incredibly silly book, but it has a certain weird charm.
June 25, 2018
Reviewing
Wife in Name Only
is quite a dilemma for me – on one hand, it was an engaging, tense read, but on the other – it's entirely full of sexist, class-prejudiced nonsense that a book couldn't really do without in the 19 century. Which is why it it's probably best said that
Wife in Name Only
is simply a product of its time, and should be viewed as such.
However, I feel like it could be very harmful to a young mind, especially a female one.
This book needs to be read with a clear notion of what you're reading and what kind of outdated views on society and life you will find in it. If you are aware of this, you may enjoy the book quite a lot, because it's built well as a story, despite its very real shortcomings. And this is why I am giving it 2.5 stars.
If you want to read more and find out what in particular was so hard to stomach about this book, but why it was still engaging, come and read the full review on my blog.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
If you want to read more and find out what in particular was so hard to stomach about this book, but why it was still engaging, come and read the full review on my blog.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
September 18, 2021
Really two and a half stars. Victorian sensation-novel that’s pretty melodramatic. Although a quick read, you could see what would happen very early in the plot. I didn’t love the overly simplistic characters, either. Philippa was an egomaniac, but Norman was an ass who focused on the “purity of his race” and the honor of his family. Ugh!
February 13, 2020
Rich with description and saturated with all the vibes of the best period dramas I found this story unexpectedly thoughtful.
More than a little unlikely and rather silly, though perhaps unintentionally, the story does bring up some thoughtful questions: where does passion, however pure and sweet, end and duty to honor begin? Set in Victorian England the hero and heroine's measuring rods for said honor might differ from ours, but it got me and has kept me, thinking about it all day.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It also contains the dreamiest oceanside scene EVER, complete with the sweet scent of gorse in bloom, the gentle rush of waves and sundered lovers; I may or may not have rather giggled my way through all before that scene, but I fell hard for the story after it. :)
More than a little unlikely and rather silly, though perhaps unintentionally, the story does bring up some thoughtful questions: where does passion, however pure and sweet, end and duty to honor begin? Set in Victorian England the hero and heroine's measuring rods for said honor might differ from ours, but it got me and has kept me, thinking about it all day.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It also contains the dreamiest oceanside scene EVER, complete with the sweet scent of gorse in bloom, the gentle rush of waves and sundered lovers; I may or may not have rather giggled my way through all before that scene, but I fell hard for the story after it. :)
October 14, 2012
It begins with the story about a doctor, and then skips to head several years with new characters which makes it a little choppy. It is one story that does not really have one main character, but is the combined story of several characters and the effects their actions have on each other. I was delightfully surprised when the story to a turn toward revenge. I found all the characters to be sympathetic. All the stories led toward people being a product of the effects others had, had upon them. It was a fun and entertaining read.
February 13, 2014
Innocent and pleasant story. A woman attempts revenge, setting a man up to marry a woman who he thinks is his ideal but who has an unknown stain in her lineage. He is proud and believes he must sacrifice his bride and his heart to uphold the purity of his own race...is there any hope for them? Perhaps they will both die of disappointment...unless the woman who deceived them with the false grounds for their union in the first place might have been mistaken in the past of the young wife...will justice be done?
About a 3.75 for me. The ending is really sweet, though!
About a 3.75 for me. The ending is really sweet, though!
August 29, 2017
Unusual
I had to go back to the beginning to get the names straight. The section where Philippa was introduced was too confusing because you left the story line hanging and too much about the person Phillippa. I guess if the customs of ancient rich families were more familiar I could understand but here in my corner of the world it seems ludicrous. It had A good ending and it shows that forgiveness was better than hatred and revenge. We need more of that in this generation.
I had to go back to the beginning to get the names straight. The section where Philippa was introduced was too confusing because you left the story line hanging and too much about the person Phillippa. I guess if the customs of ancient rich families were more familiar I could understand but here in my corner of the world it seems ludicrous. It had A good ending and it shows that forgiveness was better than hatred and revenge. We need more of that in this generation.
May 7, 2017
Mysteriously Wonderful
Until near the end I was kept guessing the out come. Wonderful book. Wonderful storyline. I would recommend it to anyone.
Until near the end I was kept guessing the out come. Wonderful book. Wonderful storyline. I would recommend it to anyone.
January 25, 2015
This was a complicated revenge plot in a historical English romance with no sexy scenes so it is OK for all audiences.
This all starts about 17 years before the story with a birth and a death and then another death and a kidnapping by the nurse/nanny. Then we jump to the story where a childhood friends love each other, one with romantic obsessive love and the other with friendship and brotherhood. I liked that Philippa is considered the ideal woman, beautiful, accomplished and beloved to the whole ton, but inside she was a vindictive obsessive back stabber to her best-friend/bother/childhood friend. This had a complicated storyline with lots of characters.
241 pages which felt like 300 pages.
2 stars
This all starts about 17 years before the story with a birth and a death and then another death and a kidnapping by the nurse/nanny. Then we jump to the story where a childhood friends love each other, one with romantic obsessive love and the other with friendship and brotherhood. I liked that Philippa is considered the ideal woman, beautiful, accomplished and beloved to the whole ton, but inside she was a vindictive obsessive back stabber to her best-friend/bother/childhood friend. This had a complicated storyline with lots of characters.
241 pages which felt like 300 pages.
2 stars
May 21, 2012
This book sounds like it was written by a eugenist. The heroine has a father who is a criminal so the hero who is a aristocrat casts her off when he finds out about it. Even though he was married to her and she did not know he did not know. He is not willing to have children with a woman without perfect pedigree so he mentally abandons her. I was thinking, "How many shocking secrets are in your line, Sir" The heroine is completely weak and spineless. I just scanned most of it to see if it got better at the end, it did not.
July 16, 2022
20th Reading
This is a story I coming to so often. I liked the theme of forgiveness, but would've loved to need Margaret and Phillipa punished even slightly. For how can you take a child away from the present for years and not be punished for the pains and agonies caused. And Phillipa should've been dealt with somehow.
This is a story I coming to so often. I liked the theme of forgiveness, but would've loved to need Margaret and Phillipa punished even slightly. For how can you take a child away from the present for years and not be punished for the pains and agonies caused. And Phillipa should've been dealt with somehow.
June 15, 2014
Rambling Read
several times I was thrown off by the jump in the story. had it not been for the name of the L'Estrange's being mentioned early on, I would have thought I was reading two different books. If you like tragic love stories, you'll love this book.
several times I was thrown off by the jump in the story. had it not been for the name of the L'Estrange's being mentioned early on, I would have thought I was reading two different books. If you like tragic love stories, you'll love this book.
July 1, 2014
WONDERFUL VINTAGE HISTORICAL ROMANCE
I just adore this lovely writing. Such good story. I recommend it highly.The story has a bit of everything-,-history, romance.mystery. A great read.
I just adore this lovely writing. Such good story. I recommend it highly.The story has a bit of everything-,-history, romance.mystery. A great read.
July 22, 2015
Charlotte Brame was a popular and prolific author in the mid- to late 19th century. This novel portrays the prejudices and mores prevalent during that time period. The story is fairly melodramatic but the plot is interesting.
December 30, 2015
Good plot
Character development was decent for several characters. Plot was slow moving initially and it was unclear how Madeline and Philippa were connected until halfway through the book. Madeline's character was weak. Will read more by this author.
Character development was decent for several characters. Plot was slow moving initially and it was unclear how Madeline and Philippa were connected until halfway through the book. Madeline's character was weak. Will read more by this author.
March 22, 2013
Started real slow...but by the time I got about 1/4 of the way through, It was hard to put it down.
May 12, 2014
Refreshing
I am not in the habit of reading old volumes such as these but, I am glad that I did. I love this book.
I am not in the habit of reading old volumes such as these but, I am glad that I did. I love this book.
February 1, 2015
Interesting and up to date
A up to date Romeo and Juliet, quick read and a little twist. Yes I would recommend for a afternoon read.
A up to date Romeo and Juliet, quick read and a little twist. Yes I would recommend for a afternoon read.
February 27, 2015
Be careful
It started out good until one part made you teary eyed. It was a moving book, all of tear emotions were there.
Mer & Goodreads
It started out good until one part made you teary eyed. It was a moving book, all of tear emotions were there.
Mer & Goodreads
April 1, 2016
Slow start but about chapter 3 begins to pick up and its story I want to rereax
December 6, 2016
I only got halfway through. Could not make myself finish. Too melodramatic. Too boring. Just couldn't make myself care about any of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews