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The French Lieutenant's Woman

Discover the timeless epic historical novel of Victorian scandal and obsession.

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The French Lieutenant's Woman

By: John Fowles
Narrated by: John Hopkins
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A remarkable performance... As gripping as The Collector and The Magus' Observer

Charles Smithson, a respectable engaged man, meets Sarah Woodruff as she stands on the Cobb at Lyme Regis, staring out to sea. Charles falls in love, but Sarah is a disgraced woman, and their romance will defy all the stifling conventions of the Victorian age.

Widely acclaimed since publication, The French Lieutenant's Woman is the best-loved of John Fowles's novels.

© John Fowles 1969 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance
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Critic Reviews

A brilliant success... It is a passionate piece of writing as well as an immaculate example of storytelling
Compulsively readable
A splendid, lucid, profoundly satisfying work of art, a book which I want almost immediately to read again
Brilliant...an artist of great imaginative power
Marvellous 1969 novel... You can read this book again and again, always finding something new and always falling in love with the hapless Charles. (Val Hennessy)
The French Lieutenant’s Woman is immensely interesting, attractive and human
It has a cracking story, a real emotional heart and a good sense of humour
All stars
Most relevant
The story and the narrator were excellent. I ended up giving it 4 stars though as I found Sarah to be highly manipulative using the same weapons to manipulate that women have used for centuries. For this reason I did not see her as a feminist figure at all. I found Charles ridiculous in his decision making and his naivety. They both caused enormous damage to others by their dishonesty so I found i didn't like the main characters much! However, I loved the dissection of the Victorian era and learned a great deal. Highly recommend. You might not dislike the main characters as much as I did!

A great story

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