Title: WildthornAuthor: Jane Eagland
Pages: 352
Published: September 2010 by Houghton Miffin
ISBN: 9780547370170
Source: Netgalley
Description: Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key...
I Give This ...
I probably won't have read this one initially. But, it came up on netgalley and that was enough for me to request. I was really glad I did.
The story alternates between present day and things in the past. I had to pay attention to the dates of events in the past because the time frame is different. But, all events are keys to what is going on it the present. I was never confused though, probably because the setting of each is easy to pinpoint. The story was gripping and fast paced. I was never bored and very eager to figure out who had placed her Wildthorn and why. And, it turned out that I was completely wrong. I love being surprised by the way a story turns out.
I really enjoyed Louisa's character. I can't imagine being sent to an asylum and not having any clue as to why. Plus, having everyone insist that she's someone else. I'm surprised she actually didn't go crazy by the events. She keeps a pretty level head and is always thinking about the next step to getting out and figuring out what is going on. What she endured in the asylum would be enough to break anybody of the will to find out the truth.
The romance in this was very tastefully done. I knew that it fell into the LGBT category so I knew what to expect. But, I enjoyed watching Louisa discover that it didn't matter. I can't imagine a teen having those feelings in the 1800's. I imagine that it would have been catastrophic.
I agree with you about Louisa's character and being put in an ayslu. I would feel the same way as you.
ReplyDeleteI was suprised to read you got it through Netgalley as I read it about a year and a half ago in the first UK publication. I never imagined the US edition would come out so much later!