The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin
Published by Hanover Square Press
Publication date: August 26, 2025
Genres: Book Clubs, Fiction, Historical, Vacation Reading
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It’s 1895 in England and women are kept firmly in their established roles as wives, mothers, and arbiters of society. Deviation from these roles or even a desire for something more could lead to a woman being institutionalized by her guardian “for her own safety”. A guardian was the male in her life be it father, husband, or brother. These female problems were often thought to be caused by their reading materials so guardians were within their rights to control the book’s a woman could read. Madeline Martin’s novel The Secret Book Society joins a cast of four diverse women brought together for the subversive pleasure of reading whatever they want.
Lady Duxbury is a wealthy widow. She uses her independence and standing in society to invite three women to join her, ostensibly, for tea. Eleanor is a friend married to a viscount, with a young son. Rose is an American heiress married to a man now designated to be the heir of his family’s dukedom. The last and youngest of the women, Lavinia, is unmarried.
The initial invitation to tea is one of the only suitable activities for society ladies, but after the introductions and refreshments, Lady Duxbury ushers the women to her private library, with its expansive collection set amidst cozy chairs and sofas revealing the real purpose of her invitation—a secret book society. Each woman is invited to choose any book they want to read while in her house and then take home to read privately.
But who are these women and why has Lady Duxbury brought them together? As the novel’s pages pass the reader becomes privy to each one’s very real battle for autonomy. Martin crafts back stories for Rose, Eleanor, and Lavinia that reflect the realities of the time for women, even those with seemingly luxurious, safe lives. As they start expanding their sense of self-worth they also grow towards each other, going from strangers who would never share personal details with another to friends who can help each other. The Secret Book Society entertains while educating, the kind of book-centric fiction this reader loves. You will, too.
Hysteria was the most frequent diagnosis for women in this time period and covered a lengthy list of symptoms including (but not limited to): depression, anxiety, melancholy, being overly excited, being too angry, being difficult or disagreeable.
If you’re like me and are interested in the facts behind the fiction I’d strongly suggest The Woman They Could Not Silence, a true story set in America about a wife with too many opinions.
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