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judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
Loved! All of Kathryn Hughes' books are amazing! She always lands on my top books of the year. Get the audiobook. Review to follow.
andreagraves5's review against another edition
4.0
This was hard for me to read since I have an adult special needs son. It breaks my heart how these people were treated/segregated from society and what inhumane medical treatments they received. Makes me so grateful how the system has evolved and we value special needs people now. I know my son is a huge blessing in my life.
The author did a great job with her research and having multiple plots going on.
A few complaints (that didn’t ruin the book, but bothered me):
- The author would switch point of view between characters without a break - you’d be in one characters head, then without warning, you’d be in someone else’s head - it was kind of confusing. Most books will acknowledge somehow they are in a different persons point of view.
- The actual title of the book is very insignificant to the story, and almost misleading. It would’ve been more descriptive if it had been named something like The Lost Suitcases or The Unclaimed Suitcases.
- The end was predictable for me, but it was still a really good story.
Overall, it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. I do love how the end of the book shows how far we’ve come in treating special needs people - it made my heart happy.
The author did a great job with her research and having multiple plots going on.
A few complaints (that didn’t ruin the book, but bothered me):
- The author would switch point of view between characters without a break - you’d be in one characters head, then without warning, you’d be in someone else’s head - it was kind of confusing. Most books will acknowledge somehow they are in a different persons point of view.
- The actual title of the book is very insignificant to the story, and almost misleading. It would’ve been more descriptive if it had been named something like The Lost Suitcases or The Unclaimed Suitcases.
- The end was predictable for me, but it was still a really good story.
Overall, it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. I do love how the end of the book shows how far we’ve come in treating special needs people - it made my heart happy.
amybookss's review against another edition
5.0
this book came up on kindle unlimited and i thought sure i’ll give it a go, not really thinking much. oh my god it is one of the most interesting, gripping books i have ever read. the story is heartbreaking and makes you really think about stolen time. i will forever be recommending this to any and everyone - i look forward to reading more from this author
veronimacaroni's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't know a story about an asylum could be this wonderful. I'll be honest that I struggled to continue reading it because of the slow progress. However, it does have a wonderful story and could be a Hallmark movie.
creaseinthespinebooks's review against another edition
5.0
First of all I rarely give out 5 stars but when I do it’s because a story has moved me so much that it takes days and sometimes weeks to get over and this will be the case for The Key.
This was not an easy story to read as we read about asylums and a disturbing look at the misguided and sometimes barbaric treatment of the mentally ill during the 1950s.
Like most asylums and Kathryns research she does a wonderful of casting a bleak picture of the asylum and its dark atmosphere. The characters add to this story and how some of them are treated in ways that you would not think possible and is not for the weak at heart. We also learn the evil ways and horrors of electroshock therapy and the true abuse that these people receive.
And yet even though this is a fictional story it is based on actual facts.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book which evoked many thoughts and feelings.
Kathryn is an author that brings her characters and their surroundings to life. She has written a page turner that deserves to be made into a film.
I need to really look into her other books.
This was not an easy story to read as we read about asylums and a disturbing look at the misguided and sometimes barbaric treatment of the mentally ill during the 1950s.
Like most asylums and Kathryns research she does a wonderful of casting a bleak picture of the asylum and its dark atmosphere. The characters add to this story and how some of them are treated in ways that you would not think possible and is not for the weak at heart. We also learn the evil ways and horrors of electroshock therapy and the true abuse that these people receive.
And yet even though this is a fictional story it is based on actual facts.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book which evoked many thoughts and feelings.
Kathryn is an author that brings her characters and their surroundings to life. She has written a page turner that deserves to be made into a film.
I need to really look into her other books.