Scan barcode
A review by natyweiss
The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore
4.0
Mirielle is a young woman that seems to be living a perfect life in Los Angeles, California, with her husband, a well-known actor, and her daughters. One day, thanks to a domestic accident, she is diagnosed with leprosy. Her life changes, and the reader discovers that, behind her self-centered socialite facade, she hides an almost unbearable pain.
When Mirielle is forcibly sent to the Carville Leper Home in rural Louisiana (until 1950, it was legal in most states to quarantine people with the disease), she feels that there must be a mistake; she can't be as repulsive as the rest of the patients there. But that initial disgust slowly turns into compassion for those who their families shunned and, as herself, have to carry the stigma of a not that well-known disease that is contagious and doesn't seem to have a cure (sulfones weren't use as treatment until the 1940s).
The cast of characters in the book is its biggest strength. All of them have an interesting story to deliver, and some of them are adorable. The pacing is perfect, more on the slow burn
The book is thought-provoking, and I fell my heart breaking more than once. Did I cry? Of course I did!
I would highly recommend this book. It's a must-read for Historical Fiction lovers.
When Mirielle is forcibly sent to the Carville Leper Home in rural Louisiana (until 1950, it was legal in most states to quarantine people with the disease), she feels that there must be a mistake; she can't be as repulsive as the rest of the patients there. But that initial disgust slowly turns into compassion for those who their families shunned and, as herself, have to carry the stigma of a not that well-known disease that is contagious and doesn't seem to have a cure (sulfones weren't use as treatment until the 1940s).
The cast of characters in the book is its biggest strength. All of them have an interesting story to deliver, and some of them are adorable. The pacing is perfect, more on the slow burn
The book is thought-provoking, and I fell my heart breaking more than once. Did I cry? Of course I did!
I would highly recommend this book. It's a must-read for Historical Fiction lovers.