Phantom Fortune

Braddon's 'Phantom Fortune' deals with the romantic entanglements of two sisters from a well-to-do family; a family that harbours a dark secret. As well as telling an engrossing story, Braddon interweaves a plethora of contrasts that highlight the social revolution of the era - religion and atheism, new money and old families, city and countryside, ambition and romance. The result is a very readable and enlightening novel that both entertains and informs.