Potentially I'm becoming more lenient with my ratings as this doesn't quite compare to some of the amazing books I've read in the four star category, but I found this novel really interesting, enjoying and beautifully written, and didn't want it stored in the same category as a bunch of mundane novels.
This book was really enjoyable. Parts of it were slightly dull but overall it had so much going on; romance, love triangles, rejection, scandal, secrets, a transgressive woman, a murder mystery, and it just made it a very varied read. I have also read Lady Audley's Secret, a novel by the same woman with a similar concept, and I felt this one was far superior due to the more complex character of Aurora Floyd. In fact, all of the characters seemed very likeable - perhaps some of the men were lacking in full three-dimension, but they were lovely to read about and this wasn't the story after all. This whole novel struck me as the kind of thing that really should be adapted by BBC as soon as possible (I've even started thinking of who should be cast) - we really don't need another Pride and Prejudice adaptation when there are gems like this that have never been adapted and really could benefit by being introduced to a new audience.
I thought this novel played with genre really well; it was slightly tongue in cheek, seemed to mock the stifled perceptions of women and what they should be and was funny, but was also scandalous and full of that touching romantic drama which fills novels of the time. The writing was really beautiful in places and I generally enjoyed the narrative voice. I also enjoyed all the little coincidences and all the ways that minor characters came back into play so that every detail felt attended to.