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sarah_reading_party's review
4.0
this was a heartbreaking read--mental institutions of old, ugh. but i loved the sisterly devotion and care that motivated charlotte throughout this book.
tmleblanc's review
3.0
Wow! What a compelling read. Charlotte is a strong character and one to be admired. Her goal of saving her sister is noble. Her discoveries heartbreaking. I loved her reveries the most. They tied the past and present events together and helped quicken the passage of time. Overall, another strong historical fiction novel from Greer Macallister.
I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
modrallj's review
1.0
Sweet lawd am I glad this is finally finished. Probably should have just DNF’d but I kept waiting for this to get better. Too many repetitive details during the first half of the book. Too few details during the second half. And I kept waiting to give a hoot about these folks but I just couldn’t seem to.
pianorunner421's review
4.0
This one started slow for me. I am so glad I stuck with it. I love historical fiction because a good one will trigger interest for me to pursue non-fiction reading on the same subject. This book definitely did that. This author has a very appealing story telling style.
msnyderk's review
4.0
This was a unique and interesting story. I loved Charlotte’s determination and devotion to her sister. The inner workings of the sanitarium were interesting and the ending satisfying.
bookapotamus's review
4.0
I'm going to start this right off by saying the chick in this book is cray-cray!! I don't care what the synopsis says about Charlotte voluntarily entering a loony bin solely to find here sister - just THAT alone, makes you batty in my book! I don't have a sister, but I have best friends I consider sisters... and nope!! Sorry guys. You're on your own. Enjoy the crazy pills cause my tush is sitting right here til you get out on your own!
So, that's where this story finds us - in the super creepy Goldengrove Asylum. I picture the Overlook Hotel from The Shining with it's very own Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and it is not anywhere I would ever voluntarily visit! And that is where Charlotte's sister Phoebe has been sent because she stood up to their parents to defend her sister. Charlotte feels like it's all her fault, and is determined to get her sister out and and back home where she belongs. So she fakes a bit of crazy and soon becomes 'Woman 99.'
I've read in other publications some of the insane things that women were committed for in the 19th Century - including: laziness, superstition, political excitement, masturbation and (gasp!) novel reading??? But Charlotte soon comes to find that a huge number of her roomies in the loony are, in fact, quite sane.
It's thriller at heart but the history is rich and vivid. Although it started a bit slow for me - the pace slowly grew and anticipation built at just the speed you'd want it to. I loved the vibrant descriptions of a less-than-vibrant setting and the suspense and mystery took me for a wild ride that twisted and turned with heartache and desperation. The treatment (or lack of) of these women was abhorrent and made me cringe - but the strength and resiliency was uplifting.
A really unique and thrilling trip into a time and place of irrational fears, harrowing madness, and the strength of the human spirit to deal with it all
So, that's where this story finds us - in the super creepy Goldengrove Asylum. I picture the Overlook Hotel from The Shining with it's very own Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and it is not anywhere I would ever voluntarily visit! And that is where Charlotte's sister Phoebe has been sent because she stood up to their parents to defend her sister. Charlotte feels like it's all her fault, and is determined to get her sister out and and back home where she belongs. So she fakes a bit of crazy and soon becomes 'Woman 99.'
I've read in other publications some of the insane things that women were committed for in the 19th Century - including: laziness, superstition, political excitement, masturbation and (gasp!) novel reading??? But Charlotte soon comes to find that a huge number of her roomies in the loony are, in fact, quite sane.
It's thriller at heart but the history is rich and vivid. Although it started a bit slow for me - the pace slowly grew and anticipation built at just the speed you'd want it to. I loved the vibrant descriptions of a less-than-vibrant setting and the suspense and mystery took me for a wild ride that twisted and turned with heartache and desperation. The treatment (or lack of) of these women was abhorrent and made me cringe - but the strength and resiliency was uplifting.
A really unique and thrilling trip into a time and place of irrational fears, harrowing madness, and the strength of the human spirit to deal with it all
opanda's review
3.0
Real mixed feelings about this one. For the most part, I liked it. But every time the main character had an idea but didn’t know how to execute it or was literally saying that she had no clue what to do next, the answer just fell into her lap. She even comments on it herself by saying that something happened like magic. Overall, I liked the premise and enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end where she explains where some of the information came from and what was fictionalized.
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
3.0
I am giving this 3 out of 5 because it did start off slow and I almost dnf’ed it because I was actually having a hard time and couldn’t stay interested in the story.
I do like the Author’s writing style thought.
I do like the Author’s writing style thought.