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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
This book was a fascinating historical work, and one that is largely untold (about leprosy, about the 1920s), but I found it really drawn out and the characters somewhat flat. I had a hard time being drawn into the stories, and found myself wanting to know more about how they found a cure for leprosy, the advances made over the last hundred years, etc. I do think there is something to learn from a book like this—we might not be currently dealing with leprosy in the way we were 100+ years ago, but there is something to be gained from how we deal with communicable diseases and their stigma.
3.5 stars. This was one of my latest book club reads and overall I enjoyed it. Warning to those who look at the cover and think Evelyn Hugo I implore you to read the blurb, looks are very deceiving in this case and the story you get will be much different.
Anytime a story sheds light on a lesser known event in history, I am all in. Even better if the book sends me down the research rabbit hole to figure out what parts are real.
In this case, this story brought to light the quarantined isolation of those believed to have leprosy, in the 1920’s. A socialite accustomed to a certain level of living, becomes one of those taken to Louisiana’s leper colony against her will. Over time she accepts her fate, no longer desiring to return to her old life, and eventually works to help find a cure for the disease.
I always appreciate a female protagonist in history. Though she was very unlikable at the start, she began to grow on me later in the story. Interesting side characters, wish there would have been more of an in depth dive into their backgrounds. A little slow in the middle and then picked up and wrapped up too quickly. Fast read, interesting story line. Didn’t blow me away but still appreciated the background on a subject I knew nothing about.
Anytime a story sheds light on a lesser known event in history, I am all in. Even better if the book sends me down the research rabbit hole to figure out what parts are real.
In this case, this story brought to light the quarantined isolation of those believed to have leprosy, in the 1920’s. A socialite accustomed to a certain level of living, becomes one of those taken to Louisiana’s leper colony against her will. Over time she accepts her fate, no longer desiring to return to her old life, and eventually works to help find a cure for the disease.
I always appreciate a female protagonist in history. Though she was very unlikable at the start, she began to grow on me later in the story. Interesting side characters, wish there would have been more of an in depth dive into their backgrounds. A little slow in the middle and then picked up and wrapped up too quickly. Fast read, interesting story line. Didn’t blow me away but still appreciated the background on a subject I knew nothing about.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting setting of one of the last American leper hospitals.
Good story based on truth set in the Carville Leper Colony in Louisiana. I wish we learned a little more about Mirielle’s life before she was inflicted with the disease and was sent to the colony. The story dragged on a bit, but I learned a lot.
This book gave an honest view into something I that had no idea ever happened.
The subject matter was so sad, from the horrible uncertainties they all faced, to the awful medical experiments that people were so desperate they agreed to sign up for, and the lack of privacy (this was 70+ years pre-HIPPA). What ultimately hurt people the most though, and the hardest part to read about, was that society, and often people’s own families, completely shunned patients because of the stigma.
I thought this book did a fantastic job portraying character development. To watch Mirielle turn from society girl to a woman willing to sacrifice for her friends and who recognized the consequences of actions on other people was very moving.
However, as someone who experiences severe health anxiety and passes out at blood or even sometimes descriptions (this book didn’t make me queasy, that actually wasn’t a problem for me here when it could have been), I sometimes felt like this part of Mirielle was held up as a character flaw against her when I wanted it to be treated more like an additional symptom of her disease she had to heal from.
Mainly, though, I didn’t fully connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. There was a lot of describing characters’ motivations in ways that really didn’t draw me in enough.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy:
The subject matter was so sad, from the horrible uncertainties they all faced, to the awful medical experiments that people were so desperate they agreed to sign up for, and the lack of privacy (this was 70+ years pre-HIPPA). What ultimately hurt people the most though, and the hardest part to read about, was that society, and often people’s own families, completely shunned patients because of the stigma.
I thought this book did a fantastic job portraying character development. To watch Mirielle turn from society girl to a woman willing to sacrifice for her friends and who recognized the consequences of actions on other people was very moving.
However, as someone who experiences severe health anxiety and passes out at blood or even sometimes descriptions (this book didn’t make me queasy, that actually wasn’t a problem for me here when it could have been), I sometimes felt like this part of Mirielle was held up as a character flaw against her when I wanted it to be treated more like an additional symptom of her disease she had to heal from.
Mainly, though, I didn’t fully connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. There was a lot of describing characters’ motivations in ways that really didn’t draw me in enough.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy:
Wow. I had no idea that leprosy still was a problem in the US in the 1900s. What a story. I loved the eclectic group of characters. I laughed. I cried. I was angry. I smiled.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Possible triggers: suicide, sudden death, child loss, drowning, parental abandonment.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Possible triggers: suicide, sudden death, child loss, drowning, parental abandonment.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes