Lady Franklin of Russell Square
Erika Behrisch Elce
“An original and provocative exploration of John Franklin’s doomed Arctic odyssey from the perspective of Lady Franklin, who, though she remained at home in England, underwent an equally compelling journey. Lady Franklin of Russell Square is a captivating tale of transformation, beautifully told.” Helen Humphreys
“Gripping… the reader is one with this devoted wife” Alison Alexander, historian and author.
Spring, 1847, and Lady Franklin is back in London expecting to greet her hero husband, polar explorer Sir John Franklin, upon his triumphant return from the Northwest Passage. As weeks turn to months, she develops an unconventional friendship with Russell Square's gardener even as she reluctantly grows into her public role as Franklin's steadfast wife, the "Penelope of England.” In this novel that imagines a rich interior life of one of Victorian England's most intriguing women, the boundaries of friendship, propriety, and love are sure to collide.
Erika Behrisch Elce is an associate professor of English at the Royal Military College of Canada. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.