First published in 1861, &quot;East Lynne&quot; was Ellen Wood&#39;s second of over 30 novels.&nbsp;<br /><br />When the aristocratic Lady Isabel abandons her husband and children for her wicked seducer, more is at stake than moral retribution...<br /><br />The plot is implausible at times, depending on a woman disguising herself to work for her former husband and his second wife, but the themes of infidelity and destitution were very real concerns for the mid-Victorian middle classes, and the novel clearly delineates the sexual structure of a society in which female personality is suppressed by masculine will.<br /><br />Ellen Wood played upon the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family.<br /><br />In her novel the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and adultery. Her sensation novel was devoured by readers from the Prince of Wales to Joseph Conrad and continued to fascinate.<br /><br />Ellen Wood (Mrs Henry Wood) was writing at a time when some women writers felt it was necessary to package their names in a way that would ensure their work was taken seriously &ndash; Mary Anne Evans wrote as George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell published her works anonymously or as &lsquo;Mrs Gaskell&rsquo;. Ellen Wood&rsquo;s works were extremely popular during her lifetime and into the 20th century, the mix of sensationalism and brilliant story-telling ensuring a wide readership.