31 reviews for:

Gray Chamber

Grace Hitchcock

4.16 AVERAGE

oldsimoneaccount'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!

gymgirlreads's review against another edition

5.0

I would like to thank Goodreads giveaways, the author and Barbour Books for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The story is set around the late 1800s in New York City. A New York City heiress, Edyth Foster is a forward woman of her times; she fences effortlessly, rides a velocipede instead of her carriage and makes her voice heard much to the chagrin of society around her, including her uncle Boris.

Edyth's uncle and his wife, who have a keen eye on Edyth's inheritance, devise an evil plan to forcibly subjugate Edyth to a mental asylum. Meanwhile, love is blossoming between Edyth and Raoul Banebridge, her fencing instructor, while both are completely unaware of the fate that is looming for Edyth.

While the novel is heavy in old Hollywood-esque romance, the crucial two underpinnings of the novel were: 1) how women were treated as property by the male family members and were forcibly subjected to a mental asylum without a proper diagnosis and 2) Mental asylums were run by corrupt and ineffective doctors and staffs who tortured asylum dwellers unbeknownst to the world outside.

This book was a work of historical fiction but the author discusses the true crime that was behind the making of this book in her epilogue, including some real characters that were inserted in this novel.

I enjoyed the old English dialect and structure in this book, which I sometimes miss in modern-day books. The book really got me thinking on issues of women's rights and the history of mental health.

novelsandjava's review

3.0

I received this advanced copy of The Gray Chamber from Grace and also Netgalley so thank you.
I was worried on reading this one because I am not a big historical book fan and it was based on the time of the 1800's but you couldnt even tell it was based off in that time frame. Also it is about asylums and I love those types of books with that and this book had it written all over it.

Edyth Foster's parents died sometime ago and is left in the care of her Uncle Boris until she turns 25. He wants her fortune and puts her into a woman's lunatic asylum saying she has gone mad just a few weeks before her birthday. She has no idea how she is going to escape. Will her true love find her? She also meets another girl in the asylum who just wants to get out as much as her. Will they find a way out or will they be stuck forever?

This was my first book by Grace and it was a good one. Thank you again for the advance copies. Out 1/01/2020! Today!

longtimereader's review

5.0

I had been looking forward to this book, and I'm not at all disappointed. I love this author's voice, and the research shines through in her work. The story is completely captivating. I'm fascinated by the basis of true crimes. Not having fear is a strong theme, one we often need reminding of daily. Edyth's locked in the insane asylum. Nelly Bly, she's stuck there because she went in undercover and can't get out. Or can she? Or does she just think she is a journalist? I have seen the undercover reporter trapped in horrible situations as a plot more than once, but this one is my favorite! It will pull you through highs and lows, show you darkness and the light of redemption. This book fits so very many categories, it is a magnificent read. This author is about to be one of the few ones who made the "cut" to be on my physical bookshelves.

Thank you, Celebrate Lit, for my copy of this book. This review is my own and contains my take on this book.

emysue1324's review

3.0

I was given a free advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I received a free copy of Grace Hitchcock's previous book in this series, The White City, and I absolutely adored it, immediately looking for information about when the next work would be published and how I could get my hands on it. This book took a lot longer for me to work through, though it too was enjoyable. I didn't really start getting into the book until a quarter of the way through it. Edyth was very compelling, but the story seemed to lull a few times, and was predictable. That being said,it was a good book and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

bethanyyoung's review

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Barbour Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It has a very compelling storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat. Edyth's plight as a women viewed as an inconvenience and sent away to an asylum is heart breaking and the twist and turns in the book kept me engaged the whole time. No spoilers but the book is worth the read. :)

joytiff's review

5.0

This story was so well done. I couldn't put it down. I was outraged to think that people could so easily be committed to an asylum, that doctors would willingly conspire with family to do so, and that those patients would then be treated so horribly. But the story wasn't told in a heavy way that left me feeling hopeless. There were characters determined to stand up for what was right and change things. There was also some lighthearted moments that endeared the characters to me right from the start. This book does an excellent job of educating as well as entertaining the reader.

piepieb's review

3.0

I think I was expecting more out of this story than what was actually there. The cover looked very interesting to me, but it took a while for the action to happen. I was expecting more suspense/thrills/chills, etc., and I think that if I had known it was Christian fiction I wouldn't have picked it up. Everything is usually resolved pretty neatly in Christian fiction, which irritates me, because real life is not like that, and that was true with this story - a very sugary-sweet, almost too perfect ending. I suppose if you wanted something simple, Christian historical fiction, you would probably like this book. For me it was just "alright," nothing stellar. Thankfully it was a quick read.

thelittlerusticreader's review

4.0

Ms. Hitchcock shines a light on a part of history that absolutely appalls me every time I read about it. In an unfortunate and enlightening tale that looks at how women were considered no more than a disposable possession, the author tackles the disgusting conditions of historical lunatic asylums and how money could pave the way for anyone to be incarcerated for their eccentricities, non-conformity, or for being considered problematic. The inclusion of undercover reporter Nelly Bly in the plot was an added bonus. I quite enjoy the True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime series and enjoy them even more for illuminating strange but true fact-based history in a well-developed fictional work. Enjoyable, yet atrocious - not in how it's written, but in the topics dissected. Thankfully, each fictional encounter results in a happy ending that often wasn't the case in the actual events, and The Grey Chamber was no different. Well done, well rounded historical true-crime fiction.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title. All opinions are my own.

gretel7's review against another edition

3.0

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

"Finding a loophole her father's will, Edyth's uncle whisks her off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. Do any of Edyth’s friends care that she disappeared? At the asylum she meets another inmate who confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World."

Good, clean story with a nice ending. Great descriptions of life and conditions Edyth had to endure.

3 stars