Diana of the Crossways retells a tale that may well have been true: Although Meredith was forced to attach a disclaimer to the novel, it was no secret when he wrote the book that he was writing about the life of Caroline Norton, granddaughter of playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Unhappily married, the woman ("Diana"), takes a lover -- and becomes suspect when someone reveals an important political secret that she, as lover, was party to. A compelling study of a woman and her times.