Wilkie Collins's novel was published in 1879 and dedicated to Caroline Graves. The 'Fallen Leaves' of the title are 'The people who have drawn blanks in the lottery of life. the friendless and the lonely, the wounded and the lost'. The novel follows the fortunes of four women, all in one way or another 'fallen leaves', who are linked by their relationships with the hero, Amelius Goldenheart, and also by secrets from the past. Their histories are looked at from two perspectives: that of the ruth