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bmpicc's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this, but there were 2 (or was it 3) moments when I thought, "Wait. Did I already know that?" I snagged the audio because it was available at the time, but I wish I had read it instead.
abeissel's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
brittknitsokc's review
5.0
I’ve always been interested in firsthand accounts and histories of psychological treatment facilities and their history of mistreatment, so I felt especially drawn to this novel. Woman 99 by Greer Macallister is a story about a young woman who pretends to be afflicted in order to follow her sister into a mental institution so she can bring her home. She thinks she knows what she will find there, but she is surprised at every turn. The idea was inspired by an exposé by investigative journalist Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (a.k.a. Nellie Bly), Ten Days in a Mad-House, for which she went undercover in an institution on New York’s Blackwell’s Island (Roosevelt Island). (She was also famous for attempting to travel around the world in 80 days but making it in 72 instead.) I especially liked Woman 99 because it showed many different types of women who ended up in institutions — whether they were afflicted or just refused to submit and conform to social norms — and all possible levels of sanity and “treatment.” I would have liked to know a little more about some of the inmates and their keepers, but I enjoyed the story overall.
lisawreading's review
5.0
What a read! In Woman 99, we first meet Charlotte Smith as the pampered daughter of a social-climbing family living in 1880s San Francisco. Daughters are trained from childhood in etiquette and comportment so they can eventually serve their purpose -- helping their families climb higher through an advantageous marriage. Charlotte is proper and well-behaved and subservient to her mother's wishes...
... but Charlotte's sister Phoebe, according to their mother, is "unmarriageable", the family disgrace.
While the term may not have been in use at the time, from the descriptions of Phoebe, she's clearly bipolar. She has manic episodes, full of outrageous social behavior and flights of artistic fancy, then periods of dark depression during which she's barely functional. In between the extremes, she has periods of near "normalcy", and no matter what, Charlotte is devoted to her older sister, whom she loves with all her heart.
When Phoebe finally goes too far (and it's not until later that we learn what this episode was about), she's committed to Goldengrove, the Napa Valley asylum owned by the wealthy neighbors of the Smith family. Known as a "Progressive Home for the Curable Insane", Goldengrove is promoted through glossy brochures and the social cachet of the Sidwell family. Still, Charlotte is terrified for Phoebe and her loss of freedom, and is determined to find a way to rescue her.
Charlotte concocts a scheme to get admitted to Goldengrove under an assumed identity, anticipating that she'll quickly find Phoebe, announce who she is and that they're going home, and that will be that. Needless to say, things don't go as planned. Charlotte is unprepared for the emotional and physical trials of being institutionalized, and is horrified to discover that finding Phoebe and getting back out again will not be as simple as she planned. Meanwhile, as Charlotte spends weeks in the asylum, she gets to know the other women of her ward, and learns some shocking truths -- the advanced treatment methods that Goldengrove is so well known for have been replaced by cruelty and starvation, and many of the women there are perfectly sane... just problematic for their families or husbands or society in general.
Woman 99 is powerful, upsetting, and incredibly descriptive, showing us through Charlotte's struggles the restricted roles available to women, the way certain women could be so easily discarded by society, and the shocking lack of value a woman was deemed to have if she dared step outside society's norms. It's not at all surprising to see how terrible the conditions inside Goldengrove are. Treatment of mental health at the time varied widely from physician to physician and asylum to asylum, and while some of the treatment concepts may seem worthwhile, such as outdoor hikes or music, there are also terrible methods such as a "water cure" and restraints and isolation, not to mention rumors of women having their teeth removed because poor dental health was considered linked to madness.
Over the course of the book, I really came to care about Charlotte, and appreciated how much she risks for her sister and the other women she meets inside Goldengrove. Charlotte's initial act of rebellion is spurred on by her love for her sister, but she really has no idea what she's getting herself into or how much danger she'll be in. She gains strength and determination through her ideal, and emerges as a woman who's no longer willing to meekly accept her mother's plans for her future.
I highly recommend Woman 99. It's a terrific, inspiring, moving read. And hey, bonus points for the San Francisco setting!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies
That was what all my education had been leading to. All the lessons and lectures. We were trained into ideal wives. Daughters were assets to be traded, like indigo, like hemp.
... but Charlotte's sister Phoebe, according to their mother, is "unmarriageable", the family disgrace.
While the term may not have been in use at the time, from the descriptions of Phoebe, she's clearly bipolar. She has manic episodes, full of outrageous social behavior and flights of artistic fancy, then periods of dark depression during which she's barely functional. In between the extremes, she has periods of near "normalcy", and no matter what, Charlotte is devoted to her older sister, whom she loves with all her heart.
When Phoebe finally goes too far (and it's not until later that we learn what this episode was about), she's committed to Goldengrove, the Napa Valley asylum owned by the wealthy neighbors of the Smith family. Known as a "Progressive Home for the Curable Insane", Goldengrove is promoted through glossy brochures and the social cachet of the Sidwell family. Still, Charlotte is terrified for Phoebe and her loss of freedom, and is determined to find a way to rescue her.
Charlotte concocts a scheme to get admitted to Goldengrove under an assumed identity, anticipating that she'll quickly find Phoebe, announce who she is and that they're going home, and that will be that. Needless to say, things don't go as planned. Charlotte is unprepared for the emotional and physical trials of being institutionalized, and is horrified to discover that finding Phoebe and getting back out again will not be as simple as she planned. Meanwhile, as Charlotte spends weeks in the asylum, she gets to know the other women of her ward, and learns some shocking truths -- the advanced treatment methods that Goldengrove is so well known for have been replaced by cruelty and starvation, and many of the women there are perfectly sane... just problematic for their families or husbands or society in general.
It had claimed to be a place of healing, but instead, it had been a convenient holding place for inconvenient women, serving only the people outside it, never the ones within.
Woman 99 is powerful, upsetting, and incredibly descriptive, showing us through Charlotte's struggles the restricted roles available to women, the way certain women could be so easily discarded by society, and the shocking lack of value a woman was deemed to have if she dared step outside society's norms. It's not at all surprising to see how terrible the conditions inside Goldengrove are. Treatment of mental health at the time varied widely from physician to physician and asylum to asylum, and while some of the treatment concepts may seem worthwhile, such as outdoor hikes or music, there are also terrible methods such as a "water cure" and restraints and isolation, not to mention rumors of women having their teeth removed because poor dental health was considered linked to madness.
Over the course of the book, I really came to care about Charlotte, and appreciated how much she risks for her sister and the other women she meets inside Goldengrove. Charlotte's initial act of rebellion is spurred on by her love for her sister, but she really has no idea what she's getting herself into or how much danger she'll be in. She gains strength and determination through her ideal, and emerges as a woman who's no longer willing to meekly accept her mother's plans for her future.
I highly recommend Woman 99. It's a terrific, inspiring, moving read. And hey, bonus points for the San Francisco setting!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies
blogginboutbooks's review
4.0
While WOMAN 99 isn't quite as riveting as I hoped it would be, I still enjoyed the book overall. It's a compelling tale that sheds light on the plight of mentally ill and "inconvenient" women during an age when issues like depression, bi-polar disorder, epilepsy, etc. were not as well understood as they are today. Although the descriptions of the asylum are graphic enough to give you an idea of the horror of it all, the book keeps things at a PG-13 level, which I appreciate. Charlotte is an admirable heroine, brave and loyal, as are many of the other characters. Macallister's prose is a little heavy, more tell than show, which slowed the story a bit for me. Still, overall, I liked this one. I'd give it about a B-.
kdurham2's review
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Charlotte Smith decides to get herself admitted to an asylum so she can free the older sister that stood up for her throughout her life and quite possibly could be there because of Charlotte's own doings. With an unfiltered view of an asylum of the time, this book had a few difficult parts that made me thank goodness for the time and place that I live in!
Charlotte Smith decides to get herself admitted to an asylum so she can free the older sister that stood up for her throughout her life and quite possibly could be there because of Charlotte's own doings. With an unfiltered view of an asylum of the time, this book had a few difficult parts that made me thank goodness for the time and place that I live in!
asiyahrana's review
I just haven't had much time recently, but I look forward to actually picking up this book again! Maybe when I'm through with my crocheting phase...
guylou's review against another edition
4.0
☕ qσtd: dσ чσu ѕuppσrt α chαrítαвlє σrgαníѕαtíσn? whích σnє?
✏️ My Review:
I got this book in my wonderful April @callistocrate Book Box. I was a fantastic read, full of emotions and frustrations. This is the story of a woman determined to free her sister from an asylum. She had a plan but soon discovers that she is in for more than she bargained for.
The story is heartwrenching and demonstrates how women were powerless in those times and easily discarded by families and society. It also deals with the subjects of courage, determination and sisterly love. It is a must-read.
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