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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Inspired by a true story, Amanda Skenandore writes to inform us of a Louisiana leprosy hospital where patients were forcibly quarantined and a New York socialite in the 1920s who never expected to find herself in such a place.
What started out as a quick doctor’s appointment for a busy 32 year old mother of two, ended up as a longer than anticipated stay in Carville Hospital. With a husband in the movie business and a packed entertainment schedule including New York’s elite, Mirielle West doesn’t notice a small patch of pale skin on the back of her hand. Not allowed to return home, she’s whisked from the doctor’s office to a train car full of other leprosy victims and sent to quarantine in Louisiana.
In the 1920s, Leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease, was still fraught with stigma and there was no known cure. In fact, Mirielle herself is part of the ongoing experimental treatments conducted in an effort to find a cure. We read of a woman who is stripped of everything that identifies her: name, wealth, status, family. She’s forced to live in simple, meager conditions, with no outside contact, and yet, this initially superficial woman digs deep to find the strength to do everything in her power so that she’s not defined by her disease. She emerges from her experience humbled and with an unexpected depth of character.
In the aftermath of Carville and the quarantining of its patients, society continues to struggle with pandemic infectious disease. The stigma that Leprosy patients experienced still plays a role today. We just have to look at how we react to those with a positive Covid diagnosis. Thankfully, we have progressed as a society in dealing with infectious disease. However, we still have a ways to come with regards to the emotional support needed for victims who are unable to interact socially and who are isolated due to their disease. Time will reveal how deep the emotional damage is associated with the Covid pandemic. A year to wait for our vaccine is insignificant when compared to the anxiety Mirielle and her Carville patients experienced.
As the title suggests, Mirelle experiences something akin to death, followed by a rebirth and the author has masterfully captured the essence of quarantine through her skillful prose and meticulous research. It takes a skilled author to impart knowledge seamlessly into the plot. Not once did I feel that Skenandore was lecturing readers. I hope to take the empathy I developed while reading and use it in my interactions in the immediate future. We could all do with a little reminder about the role hope plays in the struggle for survival and help to foster it in another.
Thank you to Amanda Skenandore, Kensington Books and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this amazing historical fiction. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Publishes July 27, 2021
What started out as a quick doctor’s appointment for a busy 32 year old mother of two, ended up as a longer than anticipated stay in Carville Hospital. With a husband in the movie business and a packed entertainment schedule including New York’s elite, Mirielle West doesn’t notice a small patch of pale skin on the back of her hand. Not allowed to return home, she’s whisked from the doctor’s office to a train car full of other leprosy victims and sent to quarantine in Louisiana.
In the 1920s, Leprosy, or Hansen’s Disease, was still fraught with stigma and there was no known cure. In fact, Mirielle herself is part of the ongoing experimental treatments conducted in an effort to find a cure. We read of a woman who is stripped of everything that identifies her: name, wealth, status, family. She’s forced to live in simple, meager conditions, with no outside contact, and yet, this initially superficial woman digs deep to find the strength to do everything in her power so that she’s not defined by her disease. She emerges from her experience humbled and with an unexpected depth of character.
In the aftermath of Carville and the quarantining of its patients, society continues to struggle with pandemic infectious disease. The stigma that Leprosy patients experienced still plays a role today. We just have to look at how we react to those with a positive Covid diagnosis. Thankfully, we have progressed as a society in dealing with infectious disease. However, we still have a ways to come with regards to the emotional support needed for victims who are unable to interact socially and who are isolated due to their disease. Time will reveal how deep the emotional damage is associated with the Covid pandemic. A year to wait for our vaccine is insignificant when compared to the anxiety Mirielle and her Carville patients experienced.
As the title suggests, Mirelle experiences something akin to death, followed by a rebirth and the author has masterfully captured the essence of quarantine through her skillful prose and meticulous research. It takes a skilled author to impart knowledge seamlessly into the plot. Not once did I feel that Skenandore was lecturing readers. I hope to take the empathy I developed while reading and use it in my interactions in the immediate future. We could all do with a little reminder about the role hope plays in the struggle for survival and help to foster it in another.
Thank you to Amanda Skenandore, Kensington Books and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this amazing historical fiction. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Publishes July 27, 2021
A leper colony isn’t something I generally think of when I consider our history, so I was excited to pick up something different. I found the story engaging and interesting, though it felt like Mirielle accepted her new life pretty quickly (particularly the work she took on) considering her previous lifestyle.
I was expecting the experimental side to be more dark, less consensual, a little scarier. Also thought it odd that families were permitted to visit.
Overall a good read.
I was expecting the experimental side to be more dark, less consensual, a little scarier. Also thought it odd that families were permitted to visit.
Overall a good read.
At times slow, but a really good book! Normally I don’t like epilogues but this one rounded out the book really beautifully.
This is a book I had downloaded from Prime Reading, but couldn't remember why I borrowed it.
Overall, it was a good read and touched on something I didn't know about - the largest leper colony just outside Baton Rouge, LA. Now I have a field trip to plan for my high schooler!
The characters were interesting as was the story. I appreciated how Mirielle ended up reinventing herself when it became apparent she'd never return to her old life.
Overall, it was a good read and touched on something I didn't know about - the largest leper colony just outside Baton Rouge, LA. Now I have a field trip to plan for my high schooler!
The characters were interesting as was the story. I appreciated how Mirielle ended up reinventing herself when it became apparent she'd never return to her old life.
In the 52 Book Challenge for 2023, one of the prompts is "set in the roaring twenties", so when I heard this book was set then and was recommended, I jumped on it. I didn't read the cover to know what it was about, so I was SHOCKED to learn that it's about a lepper colony in Louisiana. Not at all what I was expecting! But I have to say I was hooked and wanted to know how it would end.
I felt like the epilogue was kind of thrown together to explain what happens "after" and didn't go over as well with me. Other than that, I recommend this fascinating story.
I felt like the epilogue was kind of thrown together to explain what happens "after" and didn't go over as well with me. Other than that, I recommend this fascinating story.
This was a very interesting book. I knew almost nothing about Hansen's disease, especially as it was experienced in the US. I felt there was some unnecessary melodrama near the end, in the effort to include all of the things that ever happened at Carville (and some that did not) I don't want to spoil, but the author acknowledges taking a liberty there that I felt the book would have been better without.
I would have liked the author to have included more specific information in the author's note. For example, she has one line stating that Hansen's disease is "not the same disease referenced in the bible", but I have been unable to find any information to support this other than that the biblical term includes, but is not limited to Hansen's disease. I'm uncertain as to whether or not that is what she meant.
All in all, I would recommend reading this book.
I would have liked the author to have included more specific information in the author's note. For example, she has one line stating that Hansen's disease is "not the same disease referenced in the bible", but I have been unable to find any information to support this other than that the biblical term includes, but is not limited to Hansen's disease. I'm uncertain as to whether or not that is what she meant.
All in all, I would recommend reading this book.
It wasn’t a bad book but just not a book for me. It was too graphic for me and I just don’t do well with medical details. It was also heartbreaking and right now I’m just not interested in reading a book that makes my heart sad.
Audiobook - the main character of this book is truly so unlikeable. No redeeming qualities until the epilogue.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced