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bookwormishme's review
4.0
Edyth is a quirky, orphaned socialite in New York during the late 1800s. She lives in her ancestral home with her Uncle Boris who has recently remarried. She’s as sane as they come, if not a little different. Edyth wears garish clothing and fences for fun.
Suddenly Edyth finds herself being scrutinized by a group of doctors hired by her uncle and new aunt. They don’t approve of her activities, nor her desire to stay single in a world where women are supposed to marry by twenty-five. Though she is warned about what is happening, she refuses to believe that her uncle could be so devious. Until the worst happens and she finds herself institutionalized.
This was the first of the True Colors series that I’ve read, but I enjoyed it immensely. Fiction based on actual historical events, Blackwell Island was a real mental institution that catered to putting women away for absolutely the vaguest of reasons. With the investigative journalism of one brave Nellie Bly, the horrors came to light. While Edyth’s story is fictionalized, these events really did occur.
Hitchcock has written a fabulous fictional account of these events. Her ability to make Edyth and her world very real led me to believe that this might have been a real accounting of a woman. I was completely wrapped up in this story from the start and could not put it down. I would look forward to reading another of these books.
4 stars
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 6 January 2020 .
Suddenly Edyth finds herself being scrutinized by a group of doctors hired by her uncle and new aunt. They don’t approve of her activities, nor her desire to stay single in a world where women are supposed to marry by twenty-five. Though she is warned about what is happening, she refuses to believe that her uncle could be so devious. Until the worst happens and she finds herself institutionalized.
This was the first of the True Colors series that I’ve read, but I enjoyed it immensely. Fiction based on actual historical events, Blackwell Island was a real mental institution that catered to putting women away for absolutely the vaguest of reasons. With the investigative journalism of one brave Nellie Bly, the horrors came to light. While Edyth’s story is fictionalized, these events really did occur.
Hitchcock has written a fabulous fictional account of these events. Her ability to make Edyth and her world very real led me to believe that this might have been a real accounting of a woman. I was completely wrapped up in this story from the start and could not put it down. I would look forward to reading another of these books.
4 stars
This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 6 January 2020 .
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow! Miss Blaire in Blackwell’s Island is a thrilling friends to more romantic suspense based on the real-life experiences written about in Nellie Bly’s Ten Days in a Mad-House. This story had me quickly turning the pages as heiress Edyth Blaire is forced into an asylum on Blackwell’s Island by a greedy uncle who wants to steal her inheritance. Her only hope is her best friend Bane. But can he figure out where she’s disappeared to before it’s too late?
I thoroughly enjoyed this harrowing story! Edyth is considered a little eccentric because she loves to fence & ride her velocipede. She’s also a bit outspoken. She’s secretly been in love with her fencing teacher Raoul “Bane” Bainbridge since she was a girl. When her uncle, aunt, & cousin come to stay, they bring a team of doctors. As her 25th birthday approaches when she’ll finally be in charge of her inheritance, her uncle has other plans. Right as she discovers Bane may have feelings for her, she’s whisked away in the cover of night to the Blackwell Island asylum where she experiences unspeakable horrors as she tries to plan her escape & hope Bane will search for her.
I loved the friends to more romance. Once Bane realizes his feelings, he’s a goner & does everything to find out where Edyth is. I also enjoyed meeting some of the patients in the asylum who have a profound effect on Edith. The “treatments” were horrific & it was chilling to realize they were based on actual experiences. Edyth’s faith journey was inspiring as she relies more & more on God to get her through.
This book had me on pins the whole time! Highly recommend this fast paced romantic suspense & can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this harrowing story! Edyth is considered a little eccentric because she loves to fence & ride her velocipede. She’s also a bit outspoken. She’s secretly been in love with her fencing teacher Raoul “Bane” Bainbridge since she was a girl. When her uncle, aunt, & cousin come to stay, they bring a team of doctors. As her 25th birthday approaches when she’ll finally be in charge of her inheritance, her uncle has other plans. Right as she discovers Bane may have feelings for her, she’s whisked away in the cover of night to the Blackwell Island asylum where she experiences unspeakable horrors as she tries to plan her escape & hope Bane will search for her.
I loved the friends to more romance. Once Bane realizes his feelings, he’s a goner & does everything to find out where Edyth is. I also enjoyed meeting some of the patients in the asylum who have a profound effect on Edith. The “treatments” were horrific & it was chilling to realize they were based on actual experiences. Edyth’s faith journey was inspiring as she relies more & more on God to get her through.
This book had me on pins the whole time! Highly recommend this fast paced romantic suspense & can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Mental illness, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
martyomenko's review
4.0
If you can have a light book on the topic of mental hospitals and Nellie Bly, this is one. Excellent story, in a way that would be ok for young people to read, but at the same time get the horrors of the time across. I really enjoyed it!
thechapterhouse's review
4.0
A fascinating and sobering read. Not one to read at bedtime!
I particularly enjoyed the fencing component, having taken fencing in college and this past summer. Edyth and Bane are delightful characters I enjoyed getting to know.
A worthy installment in the “True Colors” series.
I particularly enjoyed the fencing component, having taken fencing in college and this past summer. Edyth and Bane are delightful characters I enjoyed getting to know.
A worthy installment in the “True Colors” series.
hadewygh's review
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Interesting topic and good to learn about this way of female oppression. However the writer lost me at the point where religion showed up for no apparent reason. Also the romance was a bit much for my taste.
amber_thiessen's review
5.0
A woman, kidnapped and sent to an asylum so her uncle can steal her inheritance. A journalist, undercover to expose horrendous conditions.
Based on the true story of journalist Nellie Bly, this novel reminds me of the mistreatment of those who suffer mental illness. Coming off my week of lectures on the history of treating mental illness, reading this novel was fitting.
Asylum means a place of refuge or protection, yet in the west this was not overall found to be so. In my relationships with people, in my care of clients, I am admonished to be a place of refuge for those who struggle.
“I wish it were possible to offer a onetime prayer to God and my anxiety would disappear, but for me it has been a slow healing, and I must offer up my burdens to Him every time I open my eyes.”
How can you be a place of refuge for someone today?
Based on the true story of journalist Nellie Bly, this novel reminds me of the mistreatment of those who suffer mental illness. Coming off my week of lectures on the history of treating mental illness, reading this novel was fitting.
Asylum means a place of refuge or protection, yet in the west this was not overall found to be so. In my relationships with people, in my care of clients, I am admonished to be a place of refuge for those who struggle.
“I wish it were possible to offer a onetime prayer to God and my anxiety would disappear, but for me it has been a slow healing, and I must offer up my burdens to Him every time I open my eyes.”
How can you be a place of refuge for someone today?
jamacox97's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jennbehindthebooks's review against another edition
5.0
The Gray Chamber is incredible!
I absolutely loved Edyth's spunk and confidence! Reading about her plight was a rather emotional rollercoaster and, at times, made me want to tear up. Just sayin, for all y'all who are faint of heart. But that just shows Grace Hitchcock's amazing talent at crafting relatable characters who prick at your heart! Stellar job!
Note: I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fabulous!
I absolutely loved Edyth's spunk and confidence! Reading about her plight was a rather emotional rollercoaster and, at times, made me want to tear up. Just sayin, for all y'all who are faint of heart. But that just shows Grace Hitchcock's amazing talent at crafting relatable characters who prick at your heart! Stellar job!
Note: I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fabulous!
simoneclark's review
5.0
Thank you, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book! This review reflects my personal opinion.
I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect. The synopsis sounded fantastic, but I wasn't sure how the Christian faith could be included in this one. However, I have to say that this was a fantastic book! The mystery/suspense was subtle in this one and so was the romance. But the story drew me in and kept me "hooked" until the last page. This novel reminded me a bit of Kerri Maniscalco's "Stalking Jack the Ripper." It wasn't a retelling, but a great suspenseful, authentic novel!
I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect. The synopsis sounded fantastic, but I wasn't sure how the Christian faith could be included in this one. However, I have to say that this was a fantastic book! The mystery/suspense was subtle in this one and so was the romance. But the story drew me in and kept me "hooked" until the last page. This novel reminded me a bit of Kerri Maniscalco's "Stalking Jack the Ripper." It wasn't a retelling, but a great suspenseful, authentic novel!
jenacidebybibliophile's review
3.0
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the publisher, Barbour Publishing, Inc., via Netgalley for an honest review.
Etiquette, propriety, courting, and men who don’t think much of women.
It’s like a Jane Austen novel, but with an asylum!
The Gray Chamber is set in the later part of the 1800’s in high society, following a young woman named Edyth Foster as she nears her twenty-fifth birthday. Though Edyth has grown up privileged and accustomed to playing the role of a lady, she is a quirky woman who lives her life by her own set of rules. She wears relaxed dress-wear without the bother of a corset, and prefers beating men at fencing to sitting on a cushion looking primped and puffed for eligible suitors. And with the fortune her parents left her becoming available to her on her birthday, she is able to forgo the stress and pressures of securing a husband.
That is until her uncle throws her in an insane asylum.
I LOVE a historical fiction tale just like the next Jane Austen lover. There’s just nothing more romantic than a woman being courted using proper English and gentlemanly manners. Mix in beautiful gowns, arrogant men, tittering females and a mental institution…and you’ve just opened up the gates of heaven to me. I found this story to be thoroughly addicting and positively riveting. The language was perfectly on point, the time-period was well-portrayed and it showcased how easy it was during that time for men to dispose of “problem women”. Anyone who didn’t fall in line with society or do as a man said was at risk of being thrust aside.
Corset forbid any of these ladies have some individuality!
When we meet Edyth she is enjoying her life in leisure and comfort. She goes to the fencing club where her crush Bane is the instructor, sketches and paints in her free-time, is carefree with a sunny disposition, and even houses her Uncle and his new bride. Though the relationship with her uncle SEEMS fine to begin with, we obviously know it’s not. Unbeknownst to Edyth, her uncle brings doctors from Blackwell Island, the infamous Women’s Insane Asylum nearby, to have her evaluated for her eccentricities and “odd behavior” in order to have her committed so he can steal her fortune. But once she is shipped off, things got a little sour for me.
After Edyth arrives at Blackwell Island, she began to turn me off a bit. Gone was this strong and independent woman with a humble head on her shoulders, and in her place was a character who whined like a teenager and stomped her foot. Granted, the poor dear HAS just been committed and fears she will spend the rest of her days there…but come on. She acted like a spoiled child who had spent her entire life with a silver spoon in her mouth, and didn’t understand why she wasn’t getting her hair done. Seriously. She asked if a chambermaid would be coming in to do her hair. In an insane asylum.
*sigh*
But her time locked up wasn’t all sunshine and daisies. The orderlies were brutal to all of the patients, and there seemed to only be one nurse that actually had a soul. The women were all washed in the same disgusting bath water, were given food that was barely considered food, dressed in thin pieces of fabric that did nothing to keep them warm, and were sleeping in horrid conditions. It sounded dreadful, and Edyth attempting to escape the institution gave me SUCH anxiety as she was running through the halls trying to flee!
I liked where the author took the story and how she threw in a few twists and blindsides. I found Bane to be a dreamy and perfect romantic interest for Edyth, but I do wish the poor guy would have realized she was a gem BEFORE deciding so after seeing her in a fancy gown and with makeup on. *facepalm* But even so, their relationship was very sweet and gave me little flutters. Bane’s determination to find Edyth was so pure, and it really showed how strong of a friendship they had that he knew something was up as soon as she missed their date. How things tied up with them was perfect, innocent and very romantic.
All in all, I really liked this American Crime/Historical fiction tale. It kept my attention, the setting and dialogue felt authentic to the era, and it showcased the atrocities that some women were subjected to. I do think the last 15% of the story was a bit unnecessary and was dragged out a little more than was needed, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me stop reading until the very last word. This was my first read from this True Colors series, so I definitely want to read the other stories and see how the other authors constructed their tales.
Etiquette, propriety, courting, and men who don’t think much of women.
It’s like a Jane Austen novel, but with an asylum!
The Gray Chamber is set in the later part of the 1800’s in high society, following a young woman named Edyth Foster as she nears her twenty-fifth birthday. Though Edyth has grown up privileged and accustomed to playing the role of a lady, she is a quirky woman who lives her life by her own set of rules. She wears relaxed dress-wear without the bother of a corset, and prefers beating men at fencing to sitting on a cushion looking primped and puffed for eligible suitors. And with the fortune her parents left her becoming available to her on her birthday, she is able to forgo the stress and pressures of securing a husband.
That is until her uncle throws her in an insane asylum.
I LOVE a historical fiction tale just like the next Jane Austen lover. There’s just nothing more romantic than a woman being courted using proper English and gentlemanly manners. Mix in beautiful gowns, arrogant men, tittering females and a mental institution…and you’ve just opened up the gates of heaven to me. I found this story to be thoroughly addicting and positively riveting. The language was perfectly on point, the time-period was well-portrayed and it showcased how easy it was during that time for men to dispose of “problem women”. Anyone who didn’t fall in line with society or do as a man said was at risk of being thrust aside.
Corset forbid any of these ladies have some individuality!
When we meet Edyth she is enjoying her life in leisure and comfort. She goes to the fencing club where her crush Bane is the instructor, sketches and paints in her free-time, is carefree with a sunny disposition, and even houses her Uncle and his new bride. Though the relationship with her uncle SEEMS fine to begin with, we obviously know it’s not. Unbeknownst to Edyth, her uncle brings doctors from Blackwell Island, the infamous Women’s Insane Asylum nearby, to have her evaluated for her eccentricities and “odd behavior” in order to have her committed so he can steal her fortune. But once she is shipped off, things got a little sour for me.
After Edyth arrives at Blackwell Island, she began to turn me off a bit. Gone was this strong and independent woman with a humble head on her shoulders, and in her place was a character who whined like a teenager and stomped her foot. Granted, the poor dear HAS just been committed and fears she will spend the rest of her days there…but come on. She acted like a spoiled child who had spent her entire life with a silver spoon in her mouth, and didn’t understand why she wasn’t getting her hair done. Seriously. She asked if a chambermaid would be coming in to do her hair. In an insane asylum.
*sigh*
But her time locked up wasn’t all sunshine and daisies. The orderlies were brutal to all of the patients, and there seemed to only be one nurse that actually had a soul. The women were all washed in the same disgusting bath water, were given food that was barely considered food, dressed in thin pieces of fabric that did nothing to keep them warm, and were sleeping in horrid conditions. It sounded dreadful, and Edyth attempting to escape the institution gave me SUCH anxiety as she was running through the halls trying to flee!
I liked where the author took the story and how she threw in a few twists and blindsides. I found Bane to be a dreamy and perfect romantic interest for Edyth, but I do wish the poor guy would have realized she was a gem BEFORE deciding so after seeing her in a fancy gown and with makeup on. *facepalm* But even so, their relationship was very sweet and gave me little flutters. Bane’s determination to find Edyth was so pure, and it really showed how strong of a friendship they had that he knew something was up as soon as she missed their date. How things tied up with them was perfect, innocent and very romantic.
All in all, I really liked this American Crime/Historical fiction tale. It kept my attention, the setting and dialogue felt authentic to the era, and it showcased the atrocities that some women were subjected to. I do think the last 15% of the story was a bit unnecessary and was dragged out a little more than was needed, but it didn’t bother me enough to make me stop reading until the very last word. This was my first read from this True Colors series, so I definitely want to read the other stories and see how the other authors constructed their tales.