Charles Smithson meets Sarah Woodruff on the Cobb at Lyme Regis in 1867. Their encounter threatens to ruin his respectable Victorian future. The French Lieutenant’s Woman begins on the Cobb at Lyme Regis in Victorian England, where Charles Smithson encounters Sarah Woodruff for the first time. As Charles risks clandestine meetings with Sarah, his engagement unravels, his reputation falters and the secure future he has planned begins to collapse around him. A Victorian-set novel with a sharp modern intelligence, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is a gripping story about defying convention for love. 'A remarkable performance... As gripping as The Collector and The Magus' Observer
Widely acclaimed since publication, John Fowles' most beloved novel is the ultimate epic historical romance. Charles Smithson, a respectable engaged man, meets Sarah Woodruff as she stands on the Cobb at Lyme Regis, staring out to sea.
