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<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Strangers And Pilgrims</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/strangers-and-pilgrims--7125776</link><description><![CDATA[Embark on a transformative journey through the lives of those who navigate the complexities of existence, as suggested by the evocative title "Strangers And Pilgrims." This podcast delves into themes of self-discovery, societal expectations, and the quest for belonging, inviting listeners to reflect on their own paths and the encounters that shape them. Each episode features a new complete audiobook that explores the intricate dynamics of human relationships, personal growth, and the trials faced by those who dare to seek a deeper understanding of their lives. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that illuminate the struggles and triumphs of characters from diverse backgrounds and eras. Join us as we uncover the narratives of strangers who become pilgrims on a journey toward meaning and connection. Discover a new book with every episode and enrich your perspective on the human experience.]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7125776/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Politics Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg</url><title>Strangers And Pilgrims</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/strangers-and-pilgrims--7125776</link></image><lastBuildDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:11:07 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Politics Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker75@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>Embark on a transformative journey through the lives of those who navigate the complexities of existence, as suggested by the evocative title "Strangers And Pilgrims." This podcast delves into themes of self-discovery, societal expectations, and the...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Embark on a transformative journey through the lives of those who navigate the complexities of existence, as suggested by the evocative title "Strangers And Pilgrims." This podcast delves into themes of self-discovery, societal expectations, and the quest for belonging, inviting listeners to reflect on their own paths and the encounters that shape them. Each episode features a new complete audiobook that explores the intricate dynamics of human relationships, personal growth, and the trials faced by those who dare to seek a deeper understanding of their lives. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that illuminate the struggles and triumphs of characters from diverse backgrounds and eras. Join us as we uncover the narratives of strangers who become pilgrims on a journey toward meaning and connection. Discover a new book with every episode and enrich your perspective on the human experience.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Kids &amp; Family"/><itunes:category text="Kids &amp; Family"><itunes:category text="Stories for Kids"/></itunes:category><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>75e8a8b7-52c4-531f-81f3-88a7911b84aa</podcast:guid><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>Late Mattia Pascal-Luigi Pirandello</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/late-mattia-pascal-luigi-pirandello--74403184</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74403184</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:01:02 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74403184/late_mattia_pascal_luigi_pirandello.mp3" length="250721942" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31309</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Charles Simeon-Handley Carr Glyn Moule</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/charles-simeon-handley-carr-glyn-moule--74375794</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74375794</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:01:07 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74375794/charles_simeon_handley_carr_glyn_moule.mp3" length="215575010" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>26919</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Little Fishers and Their Nets-Pansy</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/little-fishers-and-their-nets-pansy--74353483</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74353483</guid><pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:01:17 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74353483/little_fishers_and_their_nets_pansy.mp3" length="251429451" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31397</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Maid of Maiden Lane (dramatic reading)-Amelia E. Barr</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/maid-of-maiden-lane-dramatic-reading-amelia-e-barr--74333223</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74333223</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Sep 2026 09:00:52 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74333223/6850_maid_of_maiden_lane_dramatic_reading_amelia_e_barr.mp3" length="238049339" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>29726</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>King in Yellow (part 1)-Robert W. Chambers</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/king-in-yellow-part-1-robert-w-chambers--74309973</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74309973</guid><pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:00:42 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74309973/king_in_yellow_part_1_robert_w_chambers.mp3" length="133643600" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16689</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Purple Springs-Nellie McClung</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/purple-springs-nellie-mcclung--74292928</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74292928</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:49 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74292928/purple_springs_nellie_mcclung.mp3" length="250554670" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>31288</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Thought Vibration, or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World-William Walker Atkinson</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/thought-vibration-or-the-law-of-attraction-in-the-thought-world-william-walker-atkinson--74272729</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74272729</guid><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:00:45 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74272729/thought_vibration_or_the_law_of_attraction_in_the_thought_world_william_walker_atkinson.mp3" length="65037226" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>8121</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Memoirs of a White Elephant-Judith Gautier</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/memoirs-of-a-white-elephant-judith-gautier--74257238</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74257238</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:00:56 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74257238/memoirs_of_a_white_elephant_judith_gautier.mp3" length="124680911" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>15570</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark-Mary Wollstonecraft</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/letters-written-during-a-short-residence-in-sweden-norway-and-denmark-mary-wollstonecraft--74241713</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74241713</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:50 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74241713/letters_written_during_a_short_residence_in_sweden_norway_and_denmark_mary_wollstonecraft.mp3" length="167092522" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>20865</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Armand Durand-Rosanna Eleanor Leprohon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/armand-durand-rosanna-eleanor-leprohon--74228035</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74228035</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 09:00:47 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74228035/armand_durand_rosanna_eleanor_leprohon.mp3" length="221955412" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>27717</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Girl with the Golden Eyes-Honoré de Balzac</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/girl-with-the-golden-eyes-honore-de-balzac--74210490</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74210490</guid><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:00:47 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74210490/girl_with_the_golden_eyes_honore_de_balzac.mp3" length="130082087" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16244</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Four Noncanonical Sherlock Holmes Short Stories-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/four-noncanonical-sherlock-holmes-short-stories-sir-arthur-conan-doyle--74184037</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74184037</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 09:00:45 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74184037/four_noncanonical_sherlock_holmes_short_stories_sir_arthur_conan_doyle.mp3" length="47656455" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5951</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Reign of King Edward the Third-William Shakespeare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/reign-of-king-edward-the-third-william-shakespeare--74158472</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74158472</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:00:44 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74158472/reign_of_king_edward_the_third_william_shakespeare.mp3" length="75415780" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9417</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates-Mary Mapes Dodge</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/hans-brinker-or-the-silver-skates-mary-mapes-dodge--74131999</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74131999</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:00:51 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74131999/hans_brinker_or_the_silver_skates_mary_mapes_dodge.mp3" length="287260009" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>35872</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Poems of William Blake-William Blake</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/poems-of-william-blake-william-blake--74082699</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74082699</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:01:01 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74082699/poems_of_william_blake_william_blake.mp3" length="26451499" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>3303</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Two Sides To Every Question From A South Australian Standpoint-Maud Jean Franc</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/two-sides-to-every-question-from-a-south-australian-standpoint-maud-jean-franc--74060754</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74060754</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:00:40 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74060754/two_sides_to_every_question_from_a_south_australian_standpoint_maud_jean_franc.mp3" length="139546474" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>17426</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Lesley Castle (Dramatic Reading)-Jane Austen</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/lesley-castle-dramatic-reading-jane-austen--74038447</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74038447</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:02:08 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74038447/lesley_castle_dramatic_reading_jane_austen.mp3" length="35548036" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>4439</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Soren Kierkegaard, Various Readings-Various</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/soren-kierkegaard-various-readings-various--74018682</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74018682</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:02:09 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74018682/soren_kierkegaard_various_readings_various.mp3" length="128630190" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>16062</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Tragedy of Macbeth-William Shakespeare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/tragedy-of-macbeth-william-shakespeare--73997301</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73997301</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:01:45 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73997301/tragedy_of_macbeth_william_shakespeare.mp3" length="63279546" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>7902</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>House of Cobwebs and Other Stories-George Gissing</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/house-of-cobwebs-and-other-stories-george-gissing--73976503</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73976503</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:02:06 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73976503/house_of_cobwebs_and_other_stories_george_gissing.mp3" length="278823843" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>34818</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Poetical Works of Thomas Lovell Beddoes, Volume 1-Thomas Lovell Beddoes</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/poetical-works-of-thomas-lovell-beddoes-volume-1-thomas-lovell-beddoes--73955575</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73955575</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:02:27 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73955575/poetical_works_of_thomas_lovell_beddoes_volume_1_thomas_lovell_beddoes.mp3" length="78716618" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9830</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Agnes Grey-Anne Brontë</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/agnes-grey-anne-bronte--73934694</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73934694</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:02:23 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73934694/agnes_grey_anne_bronte.mp3" length="192846376" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>24082</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Wedding Day in All Ages and Countries-Edward J. Wood</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/wedding-day-in-all-ages-and-countries-edward-j-wood--73911522</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73911522</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:02:55 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73911522/wedding_day_in_all_ages_and_countries_edward_j_wood.mp3" length="268833926" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>33571</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Heptameron of the Tales of Margaret, Queen of Navarre, Volume 4-Marguerite of Navarre</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/heptameron-of-the-tales-of-margaret-queen-of-navarre-volume-4-marguerite-of-navarre--73889975</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73889975</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:03:14 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73889975/heptameron_of_the_tales_of_margaret_queen_of_navarre_volume_4_marguerite_of_navarre.mp3" length="111438738" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13916</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Maria Chapdelaine (version 2)-Louis Hémon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/maria-chapdelaine-version-2-louis-hemon--73868778</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73868778</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:03:10 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73868778/maria_chapdelaine_version_2_louis_he_mon.mp3" length="153507803" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>19169</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Court and Character of King James, with the Court of King Charles-Anthony Weldon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/court-and-character-of-king-james-with-the-court-of-king-charles-anthony-weldon--73849908</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73849908</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:04:10 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73849908/court_and_character_of_king_james_with_the_court_of_king_charles_anthony_weldon.mp3" length="108207645" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. (Summary by Anne F)]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13512</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Watsons (Dramatic Reading)-Jane Austen, L. Oulton</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/watsons-dramatic-reading-jane-austen-l-oulton--73380830</link><description><![CDATA["Watsons," a dramatic reading of Jane Austen's unfinished novel, invites listeners into a world of social intricacies and familial ties. This engaging narrative explores themes of love, class, and the challenges of navigating societal expectations, making it a timeless reflection on human relationships. Austen's wit and keen observations resonate just as strongly today, reminding us of the enduring nature of personal struggles and aspirations. The interplay of characters and their moral dilemmas offers rich insights that continue to captivate audiences, ensuring that "Watsons" remains a relevant and thought-provoking experience for modern listeners.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73380830</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 10:49:20 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73380830/watsons_dramatic_reading_jane_austen_l_oulton.mp3" length="112077080" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Mary Elizabeth Braddon</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"Watsons," a dramatic reading of Jane Austen's unfinished novel, invites listeners into a world of social intricacies and familial ties. 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The interplay of characters and their moral dilemmas offers rich insights that continue to captivate audiences, ensuring that "Watsons" remains a relevant and thought-provoking experience for modern listeners.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13995</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/01bcf3bf8218aae029ab64083c24df41.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Strangers And Pilgrims - Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Part 3</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/strangers-and-pilgrims-mary-elizabeth-braddon-part-3--72655353</link><description><![CDATA[Strangers and Pilgrims follows the journey of Elizabeth Lutterell from a vain, beautiful and self-centred although good-hearted 19 year old to a mature woman. She begins her journey to maturity when she meets the Rev. Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. 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Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. 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When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. 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Malcolm Forde, whose influence opens her eyes to the trivial and selfish ways of the wealthier levels of society. When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. 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When her genuine love for Malcolm Forde is thwarted and she becomes trapped in a cold, loveless marriage of convenience, she suffers illness, tragedy and regret. Will she find ultimate happiness? A hugely prolific and popular author, M. E. Braddon was known as the “queen of the Sensation Novel” because of the taboo social subjects in some of her novels. In her own life she courted scandal by living in a de facto relationship with her publisher and becoming mother to six children and also step-mother to five of his children – his wife reportedly being in an asylum in Ireland, although her family denied this. In this novel, published about a year after the wife’s reported death, the scenes dealing with mental illness, its treatment and the difficulties of those seeking divorce are well observed, perhaps from the personal experiences of the author. 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