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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Mirielle West is a Hollywood socialite, married to a film star in the 1930's when a burn causes a trip to the doctor and he discovers a lesion on her hand, the diagnosis is leprosy. She is immediately locked in the hospital and whisked away to Carville, Louisiana to a Leper Colony.
This is a very good story about the horror's endured by people with Hansen's Disease before a cure was known. The social stigma, the shame that they and their families were put through. It goes through the different medical treatments that were tried at the time, the experiments they put patients through. The sadness people experienced when families abandoned them, even if they were "cured". Carville Leper Colony was a real place in America and a lot of history can be learned from this historical fiction book.
This is a very good story about the horror's endured by people with Hansen's Disease before a cure was known. The social stigma, the shame that they and their families were put through. It goes through the different medical treatments that were tried at the time, the experiments they put patients through. The sadness people experienced when families abandoned them, even if they were "cured". Carville Leper Colony was a real place in America and a lot of history can be learned from this historical fiction book.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I loved seeing the main character change over time. The story was engaging and informative!
Thank you so much to Kensington Books for the free copy of "The Second Life of Mirielle West" by Amanda Skenandore. Warning: Be sure to allow for some late nights of reading if, like me, you are unable to stop reading this book. I got pulled in from the beginning and literally HAD to know what happened to Mirielle, as well as other characters in the book.
This book delves into Hansen's Disease, known as leprosy in the 1920's (the time period this novel is set). I had no idea that there were sanitariums in the United States strictly to house those who had leprosy.
The main character of this novel is Mirielle West, a wealthy socialite, wife of a silent film star, and mother. Once it is determined that she has leprosy, she is taken by train to Carville, Louisiana to the U.S. Marine Hospital Sixty-Six. There, she is forcibly quarantined with other patients in a huge facility run by nuns. This book details Mirielle's struggles as she learns to live a new life away from her family and the comforts of home.
This book was fascinating. I had never read any of Amanda Skenandore's other historical novels, but now I will be reading all of them. She is a gifted storyteller.
This book delves into Hansen's Disease, known as leprosy in the 1920's (the time period this novel is set). I had no idea that there were sanitariums in the United States strictly to house those who had leprosy.
The main character of this novel is Mirielle West, a wealthy socialite, wife of a silent film star, and mother. Once it is determined that she has leprosy, she is taken by train to Carville, Louisiana to the U.S. Marine Hospital Sixty-Six. There, she is forcibly quarantined with other patients in a huge facility run by nuns. This book details Mirielle's struggles as she learns to live a new life away from her family and the comforts of home.
This book was fascinating. I had never read any of Amanda Skenandore's other historical novels, but now I will be reading all of them. She is a gifted storyteller.
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amanda Skenandore wastes exactly ZERO time hopping into her plots which is something I appreciate. It definitely speeds up the pacing of her books, and The Second Life of Mirielle West is no different.
I had almost no concept of leprosy. I didn't know how it presents or how contagious it is or even what the treatment is, and I think the author did an excellent job of providing the answers to all of those questions, along with an emotional story.
Something that I wasn't expecting from this novel was for it to turn into a nursing story. I read The Nurse's Secret by Skenandore in January, and I think that it was much more justified in it's turn to nursing than this book. Mirielle goes into working as a nurse to help find a cure for leprosy, but I don't understand her logic. It's lampshaded by the characters in universe, but Mirielle has no applicable skills. She's literally a upper class rich woman with zero life skills outside of event planning. What did she think she was going to be able to contribute to finding a cure?
I know that's partially the point of her characters. She's extremely self-centered and arrogant, and nursing and serving others humbles her and allows her character to grow. I like the development she went through. I haven't read many books recently that are unafraid to have a genuinely unlikeable protagonist that goes through a solid character arc and becomes better.
The colony is a fascinating setting, and the author clearly did her research and fleshed it out well. All of the daily routines, the medical routines, even the event planning felt rooted in the time and place. The atmosphere of Louisiana was well portrayed too, with the oppressive heat and humidity.
The secondary characters are a great addition. There's Frank who is one of the primary catalysts for Mirielle's change and a good guy. Charlie is her husband back home, and He's a very neutral character usually only appearing in letters. I don't like the way he tells the audience that Mirielle is detached and selfish. We could see that by reading the story; we don't need to be hand held. Jean is a child with leprosy on the colony, and Mirielle basically uses her as a surrogate daughter while away from her own children.
Slight spoilers
I really did not enjoy the section at the end where Jean runs away and Mirielle has to escape the colony to find her. I get that there needed to be a climax, but I really didn't care for Jean that much, and it just started to get convoluted. Jean is missing, and the police are looking for Mirielle because she's an escapist, and then there's a hurricane incoming and they have to evacuate everyone, etc. It's just a lot going on.
There's also a lot in the book about Mirielle's child who passed away by drowning. I don't think it ultimately adds much to her character or to her development. It lead to her being a bit of a selfish alcoholic, but I don't think we needed a reason for that. I suppose you could say that Mirielle saving Jean was a parallel for her not being able to save her son, and therefore she found peace in the end? I don't know.
I thought that it was a fine book. I learned a lot about leprosy, and I enjoyed watching Mirielle grow. It's a pretty clever subversion on the Rags to Riches trope, instead going from riches to rags. The ending was bittersweet, but I'm glad we received the epilogue we did.
I would recommend if you want to learn a bit about a little known history and if you enjoy watching characters eat humble pie.
I had almost no concept of leprosy. I didn't know how it presents or how contagious it is or even what the treatment is, and I think the author did an excellent job of providing the answers to all of those questions, along with an emotional story.
Something that I wasn't expecting from this novel was for it to turn into a nursing story. I read The Nurse's Secret by Skenandore in January, and I think that it was much more justified in it's turn to nursing than this book. Mirielle goes into working as a nurse to help find a cure for leprosy, but I don't understand her logic. It's lampshaded by the characters in universe, but Mirielle has no applicable skills. She's literally a upper class rich woman with zero life skills outside of event planning. What did she think she was going to be able to contribute to finding a cure?
I know that's partially the point of her characters. She's extremely self-centered and arrogant, and nursing and serving others humbles her and allows her character to grow. I like the development she went through. I haven't read many books recently that are unafraid to have a genuinely unlikeable protagonist that goes through a solid character arc and becomes better.
The colony is a fascinating setting, and the author clearly did her research and fleshed it out well. All of the daily routines, the medical routines, even the event planning felt rooted in the time and place. The atmosphere of Louisiana was well portrayed too, with the oppressive heat and humidity.
The secondary characters are a great addition. There's Frank who is one of the primary catalysts for Mirielle's change and a good guy. Charlie is her husband back home, and He's a very neutral character usually only appearing in letters. I don't like the way he tells the audience that Mirielle is detached and selfish. We could see that by reading the story; we don't need to be hand held. Jean is a child with leprosy on the colony, and Mirielle basically uses her as a surrogate daughter while away from her own children.
Slight spoilers
I really did not enjoy the section at the end where Jean runs away and Mirielle has to escape the colony to find her. I get that there needed to be a climax, but I really didn't care for Jean that much, and it just started to get convoluted. Jean is missing, and the police are looking for Mirielle because she's an escapist, and then there's a hurricane incoming and they have to evacuate everyone, etc. It's just a lot going on.
There's also a lot in the book about Mirielle's child who passed away by drowning. I don't think it ultimately adds much to her character or to her development. It lead to her being a bit of a selfish alcoholic, but I don't think we needed a reason for that. I suppose you could say that Mirielle saving Jean was a parallel for her not being able to save her son, and therefore she found peace in the end? I don't know.
I thought that it was a fine book. I learned a lot about leprosy, and I enjoyed watching Mirielle grow. It's a pretty clever subversion on the Rags to Riches trope, instead going from riches to rags. The ending was bittersweet, but I'm glad we received the epilogue we did.
I would recommend if you want to learn a bit about a little known history and if you enjoy watching characters eat humble pie.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought the plot was very interesting and something not often talked about in American history. The characters were easy to cheer for.
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes