“Harry and I have picked up our former life like some moth-eaten cloak from the floor of a wardrobe.”

I didn't love this one but didn't exactly hate it either. I love that, once again, Emma Donoghue takes a snippet from history and weaves a scandalous tale regarding the navigation of the divorce of Helen and Harry Codrington -- something very rare for Victorian society types. I thought this was Donoghue's strongest part of the tale. I was interested to learn the wife was not allowed to defend herself in court -- or even be in the courtroom. Although Helen is a despicable character -- selfish, manipulative, narcissistic -- I felt terrible for her throughout the court scenes. I also love the descriptive language Donoghue uses throughout this story. I think that is one of the top reasons I continue to read her stories. There are also twists and turns throughout the story -- especially one at the end (I suspected but it was still awesome!)

Unfortunately, the story was a bit of a drag and I wish Donoghue had sussed out the characters more. There was so much potential here with the historical era re: the infancy of women's rights, independence, and freedom in the UK. It left me wanting so much more.