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...
Wildthorn tells the story of Louisa Cosgrove,a 17 year old girl. A girl who's constantly reading and studying and doesn't enjoy "visiting"with her mother, a girl so opinionated and strong - willed that she is not afraid to oppose to men and authoritative figures, a girl who wants to become a doctor.Louisa Casgrove is not like the girls her age.But, in the 19th century, being different is not something that goes unnoticed.Or unpanished.And Louisa finds that out in the worst possible way.
I enjoyed Wildthorn very much.Although I don't know if "enjoy" is a suitable word for this book, since it's very sad and somber. Eagland touches the very delicate subject of women's independence during the 19th century and decides to describe Louisa's story in a way that it comes across neither too feministic nor too fictitious, all the while writing in a way that appeals to younger readers.However,as it contains some vulgar and savage scenes, which will leave you feeling shocked and disheartened thinking that situations exactly like or similar to Louisa's were actually happening back then, I feel inclined to give parents a heads up,in case their children want to read it.
Wildthorn is a very well written, atmospheric tale which deals not only with what was considered "mental health" back then and how women could actually be driven mad by the immoral and unreasonable way society treated them, but also with women's sexuality and how, in the midst of the craziness that was their lives, could find that love was the only thing keeping them sane.
Highly recommended!
4/5
This sounds like a really interesting novel! I love historic fiction, especially that which deals with real issues that faced women back then. This sort of reminds me of the Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy, minus the fantasy elements. I'll definitely check this one out! Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you definitely should.As for the Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy, I have read the first book 2 years ago and I don't remember a single thing!I don't know if that means I didn't like it, but I want to read it again and read the rest of the trilogy, as well.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this posted on a lot of blogs and have added it to my TBR list. Your review only confirms my feeling that I need to read this. Thanks for a terrific review! (Stopping by from Read My Review)
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