Emma Donoghue writes such a great variety of subjects and time periods and although this is not my favourite of hers (last year I listened to Haven and, a bit surprisingly, found it excellent) The Sealed Letter is really interesting in entwining 1860s feminism with a divorce case in which women (the respondent and a friend) don't come out well at all. Using the newspaper records about the real case, Donoghue fills in some gaps and background with a good story featuring themes of friendship, manipulation, naivety... I learned a lot about 19th C divorce law and perspectives on women as wives and business owners. There's a long section in the court room which could be a slog for readers but I found the detail interesting (interspersed with internal monologue from the accused wife, listening in the gallery, about how her life was going to be made public and how it would be twisted by the barristers). Plenty of opportunity to decide whose side you are on.

Also my first TBR shelf read of 2025! I've had this on my shelf for years!

I appreciate what this is doing, but it simply didn't grip me the way other Emma Donoghue books have. I think the way she's woven history into her narrative here is impressive, but the characters and the narrative just weren't as strong as some of her other works.