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Annie Edwards
Annie Edwards (c. 1830–1896), also known as Annie Edwardes, was a popular English novelist in the Victorian era. Three of her 21 books were adapted for the theatre. Perhaps her best-known work is her 1866 novel, Archie Lovell, which the playwright F. C. Burnand adapted in 1874.
Annie Cook was born in approximately 1830, was married to John Edwards and had one known child, a son, born in 1859. No one has yet discovered her exact birthplace or hometown, although the location of her novels suggest that she spent part of her life in the Channel Islands. When she became an established author, she began to use the surname "Edwardes", perhaps to differentiate her work from her female contemporaries, Amelia Edwards and Matilda Betham-Edwards.
Her literary career began in 1858 with the publication of her first novel, The Morals of May Fair. The Examiner called it "one of the cleverest novels of the day," and the Literary Gazette, though lamenting its overambitious plot, conceded that the story was "powerfully imagined". Her first major breakthrough occurred eight years and six novels later with the publication of Archie Lovell. The Saturday Review likened the appearance of this novel to the transformation of an ugly duckling into a swan, and the London Review stated that the public would take "deepened interest" in her career after reading such an enjoyable novel. It was also her first novel to be published in the United States.
As her career progressed, the heroines of her novels became less traditional and more Bohemian. Her novel Archie Lovell has been called "the apotheosis of Bohemianism." After its success in 1866, Edwards began to produce novels with more daring heroines, which due to their popularity, raised her average fee up to a respectable £500 per work and placed her among the notable novelists of her time.
In 1869, F. C. Burnand adapted her novel The Morals of May Fair into a play entitled The Turn of the Tide. Although it received poor reviews in the Athenaeum, the public seemed to enjoy the adaptation, and it showed "every sign of a success." Five years later, Burnand used her work again in the play Archie Lovell, which was also fairly popular. The third and final novel to be adapted as a play was Ought We to Visit Her? by W. S. Gilbert in 1874.
In 1896, Edwards died in the care of her son, who was then practising medicine. Her last novel, A Plaster Saint, was published posthumously and without final revisions.
Edwards' work was often advertised and serialized in widely read literary magazines, which indicates that she was a well-known and popular author. Ten of her novels were serialized in Temple Bar, then edited by George Bentley (1828–1895), and her books were frequently advertised in magazines such as the Athenaeum, Saturday Review, and Scots Observer. Since only popular authors were given spacious advertisements, Edwards was probably a famous author of the mid to late 19th century due to her continual presence in literary magazines.
According to the Saturday Review, her typical story was amusing, "a good shilling's worth of its kind," since she adeptly combined the styles of various well-known authors: "a fair dose of Ouida, a small allowance of M. Octave Feuillet, a situation from a once popular play, and a phrase or two from Henry James." Critics would often excuse perceived faults in her novels by recalling her overall charm, cleverness, and entertaining style of writing. The Academy called her "one of the cleverest of living lady novelists"; the Saturday Review congratulated her work for its "charming" beauty; and even the demanding Athenaeum reviewers, despite their criticism, still admitted that her stories were "clever" and "most amusing". She was also praised for her excellent descriptions. The Athenaeum noticed "her descriptive power" in the novel Jet, and the Saturday Review stated that A Ballroom Repentance, despite its vulgarity, showed that Edwards possessed "descriptive strength."
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Annie Edwards
Annie Edwards (c. 1830–1896), also known as Annie Edwardes, was a popular English novelist in the Victorian era. Three of her 21 books were adapted for the theatre. Perhaps her best-known work is her 1866 novel, Archie Lovell, which the playwright F. C. Burnand adapted in 1874.
Annie Cook was born in approximately 1830, was married to John Edwards and had one known child, a son, born in 1859. No one has yet discovered her exact birthplace or hometown, although the location of her novels suggest that she spent part of her life in the Channel Islands. When she became an established author, she began to use the surname "Edwardes", perhaps to differentiate her work from her female contemporaries, Amelia Edwards and Matilda Betham-Edwards.
Her literary career began in 1858 with the publication of her first novel, The Morals of May Fair. The Examiner called it "one of the cleverest novels of the day," and the Literary Gazette, though lamenting its overambitious plot, conceded that the story was "powerfully imagined". Her first major breakthrough occurred eight years and six novels later with the publication of Archie Lovell. The Saturday Review likened the appearance of this novel to the transformation of an ugly duckling into a swan, and the London Review stated that the public would take "deepened interest" in her career after reading such an enjoyable novel. It was also her first novel to be published in the United States.
As her career progressed, the heroines of her novels became less traditional and more Bohemian. Her novel Archie Lovell has been called "the apotheosis of Bohemianism." After its success in 1866, Edwards began to produce novels with more daring heroines, which due to their popularity, raised her average fee up to a respectable £500 per work and placed her among the notable novelists of her time.
In 1869, F. C. Burnand adapted her novel The Morals of May Fair into a play entitled The Turn of the Tide. Although it received poor reviews in the Athenaeum, the public seemed to enjoy the adaptation, and it showed "every sign of a success." Five years later, Burnand used her work again in the play Archie Lovell, which was also fairly popular. The third and final novel to be adapted as a play was Ought We to Visit Her? by W. S. Gilbert in 1874.
In 1896, Edwards died in the care of her son, who was then practising medicine. Her last novel, A Plaster Saint, was published posthumously and without final revisions.
Edwards' work was often advertised and serialized in widely read literary magazines, which indicates that she was a well-known and popular author. Ten of her novels were serialized in Temple Bar, then edited by George Bentley (1828–1895), and her books were frequently advertised in magazines such as the Athenaeum, Saturday Review, and Scots Observer. Since only popular authors were given spacious advertisements, Edwards was probably a famous author of the mid to late 19th century due to her continual presence in literary magazines.
According to the Saturday Review, her typical story was amusing, "a good shilling's worth of its kind," since she adeptly combined the styles of various well-known authors: "a fair dose of Ouida, a small allowance of M. Octave Feuillet, a situation from a once popular play, and a phrase or two from Henry James." Critics would often excuse perceived faults in her novels by recalling her overall charm, cleverness, and entertaining style of writing. The Academy called her "one of the cleverest of living lady novelists"; the Saturday Review congratulated her work for its "charming" beauty; and even the demanding Athenaeum reviewers, despite their criticism, still admitted that her stories were "clever" and "most amusing". She was also praised for her excellent descriptions. The Athenaeum noticed "her descriptive power" in the novel Jet, and the Saturday Review stated that A Ballroom Repentance, despite its vulgarity, showed that Edwards possessed "descriptive strength."