“Fascinating . . . The reader is treated to a revealing account of the passionate romance between Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning through the eyes of an intimate observer.”—Booklist Young and timid but full of sturdy good sense and awakening sophistication, Lily Wilson arrives in London in 1844, becoming a lady’s maid to the fragile, housebound Elizabeth Barrett. Lily is quickly drawn … is quickly drawn to her mistress’ s gaiety and sharp intelligence, the power of her poetry, and her deep emotional need. It is a strange intimacy that will last sixteen years.
It is Lily who smuggles Miss Barrett out of the gloomy Wimpole Street house, witnesses her secret wedding to Robert Browning in an empty church, and flees with them to threadbare lodgings and the heat, light, and colors of Italy. As housekeeper, nursemaid, companion, and confidante, Lily is with Elizabeth in every crisis–birth, bereavement, travel, literary triumph. As her devotion turns almost to obsession, Lily forgets her own fleeting loneliness. But when Lily’s own affairs take a dramatic turn, she comes to expect the loyalty from Elizabeth that she herself has always given.
Praise for Lady’s Maid
“[A] wonderful novel . . . fully imagined and persuasive fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Absorbing . . . heartbreaking . . . grips the reader’s imagination on every page . . . [Margaret] Forster paints a vivid picture of class, station, hypocrisy and survival in Victorian society.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Extremely readable . . . The author’s sense of the nineteenth century seems innate.”—The New Yorker
“Highly recommended . . . an engrossing novel of the colorful Browning ménage.”—Library Journal
“Delightful . . . entertaining.”—Vogue
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It was interesting to read a book written from the lady’s maid perspective. I enjoyed immersing myself in what life was like during that time period in British history
As an English major the story of a famous poet along with the story of the woman who idolized her and sacrificed her own happiness & well being to serve her was compelling.
A well written & fascinating story of the times… the privileged and those who serve them.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I greatly enjoyed reading from the perspective of a working class heroine instead of the typical genteel take on period characters.
I like this book, and as with all novels set in a specific historical period, you learn so much about how people lived in different times. I found it unsettling though, that despite what I think was a closer than normal relationship between employer and ladies maid, the employer seemed to be quite self-centered, and it’s supposed to be Elizabeth …
You read how the main character learns about her strengths and the importance of being your own person…not looking to sometelse to fulfill her.
A bit drawn out.
True to life /how the life of a ladies maid was so entwined with her mistress
Loved this book and enjoyed finding out more about Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s life.
Interesting and absorbing. Not entirely what you will expect…
Interesting, but drags in places.
I read this years ago and never forgot it for its fascinating depiction of the hidden life of the servant woman to a distinguished poet.
Well researched and very informative. The characters live on in your mind after the story is finished. Yes, I recommend to history buffs.
Interesting and enjoyable, although a bit slow.
Lady’s Maid was a great read. It was interesting, as it was written in a way that you could actually feel what Wilson, the maid, was feeling. She was so matter of fact, but garnered your sympathy with her high morality and stoicism. I felt myself rooting for her and wanting good things to happen for her. It was a page turner for me, as I found …
Enjoyed this book.
It goes through the life of the maid and the Victorian era was inconsiderate and cruel to domestic help. Yet, it was hard to fathom the maid’s loyalty to Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Very sad.
This book clearly illustrates the lives of women who went into service in 19th century England. I just felt it really dragged on and on with details that did not add a lot of interest. It is a decent historical fiction story.
This story was so sad. Wilson was so devoted to Elizabeth, she even gave up her baby to continue serving her. But you had to keep reading to see if she would ever be appreciated. There is some acknowledgment for her years of service, but you want to see so much more.
I spent a lot of time on this book and it certainly fell apart at the end. The character we followed all that time ended up we know not how – a let down. I realize that
the history played out after Mrs. Browning’s death, but our heroine did too and it
was disappointing.
I was very interested in the picture of the Brownings the book portrayed, as I …
She was a servant who mistakenly believed her mistress was her friend. She had unrealistic expectations about how her employers should have reacted to her personal situation. Given the era in which the story takes place, it’s hard to believe she could have anticipated that her employers would accomodate her. Towards the end of the story, she …