Sleeping Fires

Set in the high-society of 1860s San Francisco, ‘Sleeping Fires’ by famous feminist author Gertrude Atherton is a tale of love and resentment and an exploration of the moral and social standards of the time. Madeleine Talbot is newly married but deeply unhappy. Believing herself to be truly in love with her new husband, she soon realises that they couldn’t be more different. Can the pair work out their differences and make their marriage last? A compelling classic, ‘Sleeping Fires’ explores the differing standards to which men and women are held.

Gertrude Atherton (1857-1948) was an American novelist, short story writer and early feminist. Born in California, Gertrude attended schools in California and Kentucky and became widely read. She married George H.B. Atherton in 1876, and lived with him and his mother in San Francisco, where they had two children. Atherton struggled with married life, her husband did not support her writing ambitions and Gertrude found life as a wife and mother stifling. When her husband died at sea in 1887, Atherton felt free to pursue her burgeoning career as an author and went on to publish over 50 novels. She is best known for her California series of novels which explored the social history of California and included popular works such as ‘The Californians’ and the controversial ‘Black Oxen’ which was adapted into a silent movie in 1923. Feminist themes and strong female characters are common in her novels. She died in San Francisco in 1948.