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brianne_k's review
4.0
Many thanks to Tara O’Connor at Berkley and Netgalley for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.
*3.5/5*
The Mad Girls of New York is a historical fiction novel that follows Nellie Bly as she fights her way to make a place for herself as a female reporter on News Paper Row in New York City. She catches her break when she pitches a story – getting admitted to Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women. The conditions are said to be deplorable and what a story this would make! Reporters are not allowed in but to get someone in on the inside to see the atrocities firsthand.
What makes this novel special is that it is a fictionalized account of the real Nellie Bly. Nellie Bly did go into Blackwell’s and helped bring this disgusting place into light.
I didn’t know about Nellie Bly before going into this novel, but I am interested in learning more about her, even reading her original story about Blackwell’s. The author did have a really good note at the end about creating a fictionalized account of a real-world person, so if you do read this book, please read that portion too.
This book flew by – I read it in one sitting. The writing was easy to get through. There was another string about another female reporter that tied in so nicely with Nellie’s. I really enjoyed seeing the threads all settle.
I am excited to see where things lead in this series, the women reporters were fantastic and there were some hints of love interest(s)..
If you want a historical fiction book with a strong female lead, check this out.
*3.5/5*
The Mad Girls of New York is a historical fiction novel that follows Nellie Bly as she fights her way to make a place for herself as a female reporter on News Paper Row in New York City. She catches her break when she pitches a story – getting admitted to Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum for Women. The conditions are said to be deplorable and what a story this would make! Reporters are not allowed in but to get someone in on the inside to see the atrocities firsthand.
What makes this novel special is that it is a fictionalized account of the real Nellie Bly. Nellie Bly did go into Blackwell’s and helped bring this disgusting place into light.
I didn’t know about Nellie Bly before going into this novel, but I am interested in learning more about her, even reading her original story about Blackwell’s. The author did have a really good note at the end about creating a fictionalized account of a real-world person, so if you do read this book, please read that portion too.
This book flew by – I read it in one sitting. The writing was easy to get through. There was another string about another female reporter that tied in so nicely with Nellie’s. I really enjoyed seeing the threads all settle.
I am excited to see where things lead in this series, the women reporters were fantastic and there were some hints of love interest(s)..
If you want a historical fiction book with a strong female lead, check this out.
jessrit's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
megshomelibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the content! As a woman with a communications degree who focused on journalism in college, this book was right up my alley. Nellie Bly is such an interesting and impressive character and it was fun to read a book about her persistence and bad-assery. A little slow in the middle but ended with a bang!
eluparello's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is an historical fiction novel about Nellie Bly who goes undercover in an insane asylum to show how the people running it or mistreating the patients, and also to show the men who run newspapers in 1880s New York that women can also be journalists.
If you don’t know anything about Nellie Bly or her time on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island) then I think you’ll find this book really interesting. I had actually already read Ten Days in a Madhouse, which is the book Nellie writes about her time there, so I knew everything that happened. It meant that the book wasn’t very exciting or suspenseful for me, but I do appreciate how accurate and close to the truth the novel was!
If you don’t know anything about Nellie Bly or her time on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island) then I think you’ll find this book really interesting. I had actually already read Ten Days in a Madhouse, which is the book Nellie writes about her time there, so I knew everything that happened. It meant that the book wasn’t very exciting or suspenseful for me, but I do appreciate how accurate and close to the truth the novel was!
juicedavis's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kikipix's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this historic fiction take on Nellie Bly’s story creating a personal and introspective fictional narrative of her experience.
meganlafo's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
andrea_author's review against another edition
5.0
In 1887 New York, journalist Nellie Bly can't find a newspaper willing to hire a woman for anything other than the society pages. Her luck changes when an editor challenges her to write an exposé on the notorious Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum for Women. Feigning insanity, she gets herself committed. She discovers that the conditions are even worse than she imagined. When seven days pass and the editor doesn't come to seek her release, how will she escape?
This is an intimate and well-researched dramatization of Nelly Bly's book "Ten Days in a Mad-House." The writing is smart, the characters relatable, and the story gripping.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is an intimate and well-researched dramatization of Nelly Bly's book "Ten Days in a Mad-House." The writing is smart, the characters relatable, and the story gripping.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
chailady's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Confinement, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization