Exactly how steamy is this story?
PG
It's probably not a surprise, but this book is decidedly unsexy. The most scandalous thing we read about is how Lydia Glasher ran off with Grandcourt and bore four children out of wedlock. Of course, this makes us guess that there must have been some hanky-panky going on at some point, but it was all behind the scenes. Romance isn't exactly lustful in this book – Grandcourt kisses Gwendolen on the lips for the first time after they're already married, for crying out loud. Still, this is pretty par for the course for Victorian literature. Victorian culture put a real premium on proper manners and discretion and, by golly, that's what we get here.