10 h 55 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the fog on Waterloo Bridge, a woman risks her life to stop a desperate man from taking another.
Midnight sounds through London's thick fog. An elderly gentleman loses his way on Waterloo Bridge, pays a ragged boy for directions, and hears a whistle. Soon, a stranger seizes his throat. In Fergus Hume's A Woman's Burden, the distance between comfort and danger shrinks to a few steps across wet stone.
Miriam rushes to the gentleman's aid and calls his attacker Jabez. He claims their hunger justifies his violence; she refuses to let him kill. When a constable arrives, suspicion falls on the woman who intervenes. Her courage meets a world quick to judge by appearances, where poverty and respectability receive very different treatment.
What you’ll discover
- A bridge swallowed by fog Dim lamps, cold stone, and an unseen river turn a crossing into a threat.
- Miriam's dangerous stand Meet a woman who puts herself at risk rather than allow a killing.
- Hunger against conscience Jabez invokes their shared starvation, but Miriam refuses to accept his brutal answer.
- Respectability under pressure A gentleman's fur coat and Miriam's treatment expose the sharp divide between their positions.
- Suspicion after rescue The constable's response adds fresh unease when Miriam should have reason to feel safe.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy Victorian crime and sensation fiction, with its secrets, social pressure and slow-building suspense. It may suit you less if you prefer modern psychological realism or fast, violent thrillers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Hume wrote for readers who wanted suspense
- Secrets drive the Victorian mystery
- A woman's burden is also a social burden
- How to read it today
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
Hume wrote for readers who wanted suspense
Fergus Hume belongs to the generation of writers who turned the mystery story into popular entertainment. He was born in England, raised in New Zealand and trained as a lawyer before he turned to writing. His legal background shows in how his books treat evidence, motive and the weight of respectable opinion.
Hume wrote a very large number of novels over his career. Most were aimed at the circulating library and the railway reader, so they favour clear plots and strong hooks. A chapter often ends on a question, which pulls the reader on to the next.
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The author
Fergus Hume
1859–1932 · English mystery novelist
Fergus Hume (1859–1932) was a British novelist born in England. He grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1885. He published The Mystery of a Hansom Cab in 1886. He returned to England in 1888 and continued writing crime novels, including The Green Mummy.
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Who wrote A Woman's Burden?
A Woman's Burden was written by Fergus Hume, a Victorian-era novelist who published a very large number of mystery and crime novels. He is best remembered for his detective novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.
What kind of book is A Woman's Burden?
It is a Victorian mystery novel. Books of this type centre on secrets, hidden pasts and social reputation, and they are built to keep the reader curious about what will be found out.
Who was Fergus Hume?
Fergus Hume was born in England, raised in New Zealand and trained as a lawyer. He became a prolific writer of detective and sensation fiction and died in 1932.
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