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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
Viimasel ajal tundsin tungivat vajadust üks põnevik kätte võtta. See oli kohe mu esimene valik, sest lugema kutsus nii raamatukujundus, kui ka tutvustus.
Kahjuks pidin tohutult pettuma, sest see raamat oli nii igav! Pingutasin kohutavalt jõudmaks lõpuni. Otsustasin seda ikkagi teha, et kujundada oma lõplik arvamus. Nüüd on see mul olemas ja saan seda ka teistele jagada. Kuid miks ma siis ikkagi nii pettunud olen?
Mind häirisid need õudselt pikad kirjeldused. Kui tavaliselt ma naudin raamatus detailseid kirjeldusi, siis selles raamatus oli kirjanik minu arvates nendega pisut liiale läinud. Ma võtsin selle raamatu kätte põhjusel, et teada saada, mis mõtted valdavad peategelast ja mida ta plaanib edasi teha. Lugeda sain hoopis põhjalikult tema eluloost ning üldse ära unustada, mis raamatu point on.
Pikk kirjeldus saatis mind kui lugejat ka siis, kui peategelane põgeneda otsustas. Võib-olla on asi minus, kuid see põgenemine kulutas liiga palju raamatulehekülgi, et peategelane lõpetaks tagasi vaimuhaiglas.
Ma pole põnevikega eriti kogenud, kuid minu jaoks oli see liiga rahuliku kulgemisega. Põnev ei hakanud mul kordagi. Üritasin lihtsalt tuimalt lõppu jõuda, et mind ei jääks painama jälle ühe raamatu pooleli jätmine. Lõpplahendust ma teatud määral aimasin ette ning ka see ei rabanud mind, kuid arvan, et see oli siiski sobilik lõpp-punkt antud raamatule.
Kahjuks pidin tohutult pettuma, sest see raamat oli nii igav! Pingutasin kohutavalt jõudmaks lõpuni. Otsustasin seda ikkagi teha, et kujundada oma lõplik arvamus. Nüüd on see mul olemas ja saan seda ka teistele jagada. Kuid miks ma siis ikkagi nii pettunud olen?
Mind häirisid need õudselt pikad kirjeldused. Kui tavaliselt ma naudin raamatus detailseid kirjeldusi, siis selles raamatus oli kirjanik minu arvates nendega pisut liiale läinud. Ma võtsin selle raamatu kätte põhjusel, et teada saada, mis mõtted valdavad peategelast ja mida ta plaanib edasi teha. Lugeda sain hoopis põhjalikult tema eluloost ning üldse ära unustada, mis raamatu point on.
Pikk kirjeldus saatis mind kui lugejat ka siis, kui peategelane põgeneda otsustas. Võib-olla on asi minus, kuid see põgenemine kulutas liiga palju raamatulehekülgi, et peategelane lõpetaks tagasi vaimuhaiglas.
Ma pole põnevikega eriti kogenud, kuid minu jaoks oli see liiga rahuliku kulgemisega. Põnev ei hakanud mul kordagi. Üritasin lihtsalt tuimalt lõppu jõuda, et mind ei jääks painama jälle ühe raamatu pooleli jätmine. Lõpplahendust ma teatud määral aimasin ette ning ka see ei rabanud mind, kuid arvan, et see oli siiski sobilik lõpp-punkt antud raamatule.
Remote, Victorian England. An asylum. Gothic suspense. This book has all the ingredients for a superb gothic thriller, but it fell short for me. It began by creating a dark atmosphere, but I was listening via audiobook and it didn't translate well. Much of it relies on diary entries and letters to flit back and forth between past and present; to try and make sense between the confused identities of Lucy and Georgina. The patient herself believes she is another person, but is isolated in her belief. We rely on her attempts to solve the mystery alone, yet, this is problematic as she is an unreliable narrator. I confess that I did start to zone out mid story and almost gave up. I did however find myself wanting to unravel the mystery! I finished it. The audio version was not for me.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Aside from slasher movies, few things are as frightening to me as Victorian mental asylums. The doctors who ran the Victorian asylums (and the asylums’ predecessors) not only had no idea how to help their patients, but had some notions that would actively harm them. The asylum portrayed in John Harwood’s The Asylum is not as scary as it could have been, when compared with notorious institutions such as Bethlem Hospital in London...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Gothic thriller. Suspense. A young woman has her identity stolen and is forced into an asylum in the 1800s. It’s good, suspenseful, but the ending is a bit of a dud. Parts of it are very improbable, and by the end they were too many unbelievable bits which make it disappointing.
I didn't think I would like this one because it felt like they gave away too much in the first chapter- wow, was I wrong. Every time I thought I had it figured out Harwood would throw another plot twist in. The "final boss fight" left me wanting, but it gets 4 stars for the way the story unfolded.
Audible edition. Read by Rosalyn Landor, whose lovely British accent only adds to the story. Pluses: madness, mystery, family secrets, the wind-whipped moors of Cornwall, a possibly unreliable narrator. Minuses: one barely believable coincidence & an antagonist acting out of character as "deus ex machina." Pleasant surprises: not your usual Gothic horror romantic awakening; some Daphne du Maurier place-name dropping (Bodmin, Dozmary...).
A young woman awakes in a Cornish insane asylum in the late 1880s. She claims to be one woman but has presented herself as another. Who is she really and what does another woman in London have to do with her past and her present situation?
While I initially felt the story of a betrayed woman in a Victorian insane asylum was familiar, the author constructed a fascinating tale of female repression, emerging mental health treatments and conflicting longings. At midpoint of the book, I found some of the letters from one character to her cousin a bit trying, too dense and reflective of an author's narration rather than a familial letter, I kept on to a satisfying conclusion for Miss Ferrars or is that Miss Ashton?
While I initially felt the story of a betrayed woman in a Victorian insane asylum was familiar, the author constructed a fascinating tale of female repression, emerging mental health treatments and conflicting longings. At midpoint of the book, I found some of the letters from one character to her cousin a bit trying, too dense and reflective of an author's narration rather than a familial letter, I kept on to a satisfying conclusion for Miss Ferrars or is that Miss Ashton?
An asylum in the 19th century instantly brings to mind unpleasant things; a place where the care of sick people could be so inhumane. Yet, it is a perfect setting for a gothic novel. The Asylum is a very engaging read; a good mystery to keep the reader’s interest and a thrilling plot that I could barely put it down.
The story is told in two different ways; Georgina Ferrars’ perspective and a set of letters. It opens with Georgina Ferrars waking up in an asylum, being told that’s not the name she gave but unable to recall the last few weeks’ of her life. She cannot think of herself other than as Georgina Ferrars but others are as convinced that she cannot be. She is now confined to the asylum and fears for her safety but who is she, really? And who would want her locked away?
Georgina is intelligent and gutsy. She frustrated me a little with her naivety, trust in strangers, but this is understandable noting her upbringing. She learnt her lesson, however, and became cunning in her bid for freedom. As I read from her perspective, it was as if I could hear her brain ticking as she thought through the mysterious cause of her predicament and I felt for her as she fought to be free.
The ending, I felt, was a bit rushed and there was one passage that I thought was a little incongruent to the book. I couldn’t make sense of that particular part or how it was arrived at. Please note that I read an uncorrected proof so I hope that might have been fixed I was also a little disappointed with the ending as I had no feel as to where Georgina is only where she will be so it felt a tiny bit unfinished for me.
The Asylum had the feel of a psychological thriller though with the setting and mystery, it really fits better as a gothic. Nevertheless, I think if you enjoyed a psychological thriller, you just may enjoy this novel too. An enjoyable and fairly easy read that kept me entertained on the commute to work.
Thanks Random House Australia for paperback copy in exchange of honest review
The story is told in two different ways; Georgina Ferrars’ perspective and a set of letters. It opens with Georgina Ferrars waking up in an asylum, being told that’s not the name she gave but unable to recall the last few weeks’ of her life. She cannot think of herself other than as Georgina Ferrars but others are as convinced that she cannot be. She is now confined to the asylum and fears for her safety but who is she, really? And who would want her locked away?
Georgina is intelligent and gutsy. She frustrated me a little with her naivety, trust in strangers, but this is understandable noting her upbringing. She learnt her lesson, however, and became cunning in her bid for freedom. As I read from her perspective, it was as if I could hear her brain ticking as she thought through the mysterious cause of her predicament and I felt for her as she fought to be free.
The ending, I felt, was a bit rushed and there was one passage that I thought was a little incongruent to the book. I couldn’t make sense of that particular part or how it was arrived at. Please note that I read an uncorrected proof so I hope that might have been fixed I was also a little disappointed with the ending as I had no feel as to where Georgina is only where she will be so it felt a tiny bit unfinished for me.
The Asylum had the feel of a psychological thriller though with the setting and mystery, it really fits better as a gothic. Nevertheless, I think if you enjoyed a psychological thriller, you just may enjoy this novel too. An enjoyable and fairly easy read that kept me entertained on the commute to work.
Thanks Random House Australia for paperback copy in exchange of honest review