I
have enjoyed the novels in the True Colors series, ones about
historical crime and unusual situations. This one was particularly
interesting. Hitchcock did a good job of weaving historical fact and a fictional woman
incarcerated on Blackwell's Island, a hospital for insane women. In
the 1880s, women had few rights and few ways to find recourse when
wronged. This novel paints a horrific picture of the conditions in
the hospital, conditions that were being noted by the undercover
female reporter, Nellie Bly.
I
like the many issues covered in the plot. There is greed to the point
of kidnapping an heiress and bribing doctors to see her declared
insane. Women had defined social behavior at the time and going
outside of the boundaries, such as riding a bicycle or learning to
fence, was frowned upon. A major issue was faith in God, a challenge
for the heroine under such cruel circumstances.
I
recommend this book to readers who enjoy thought provoking fiction
about a dark situation in the past. You'll get a good dose of
suspense along with historical reality and a hint of romance. While
it is fiction, the author notes its basis in actual events.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
Grace
Hitchcock is the author of several novels and novellas. She is a
member of ACFW and holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor
of Arts in English with a minor in History. She lives in southern
Louisiana with her husband and son. You can find out more at
http://gracehitchcockbooks.com/
.
Barbour,
256 pages.
I
received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My
comments are an independent and honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment