The Fallen Leaves

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. William Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White and The Moonstone.