Wildthorn

I really enjoyed this, but I can see how it may not be for everyone. It's dark, suspenseful, contains some unattractive characters, and touches on a touchy subject: teen lesbianism in Victorian England. Louisa Cosgrove has a lot on her plate. Her father has just passed away, her mother is grieving, her brother has gambled all his money away, she has some "abnormal" feelings for her cousin, Grace who is about to wed a pompous arse, and she desires to be a doctor in time when women are expected to stay home and raise children. As if all this isn't bad enough, Louisa one day finds herself delivered to the gate of Wildthorn Hall, a mental asylum. What follows is intrigue and suspense as Lousia meets a young girl with a tragic past, gets trapped in bathtubs, has a tiff with a "warden", and finds herself incarcerated on ward five, the worst place to be. Meanwhile, everyone insists she is Lucy Childs and she is most unsuccessful in her attempts to convince the hospital otherwise and get to the bottom of her incarceration. Who put her there and why? The answers may hurt more than the ignorance. Can she escape Wildthorn, become a doctor, and find true love with another woman? I liked how this novel brought up lesbian love. I was surprised to find it in a young adult novel, but I did like the twist. Something different and a subject not often touched upon. Five stars. I'd like to see a sequel.

Imagine wanting to pursue your dreams, develop your education at a school, and be an empowered woman opposed to another notch in societies belt that merely marries and has children. Then-imagine being sent to a mental institution because books, schooling etc are not what women should be interested in. Then throw in a few twists, a little love and you have Wildthorn. I enjoyed this book, in part, it reminded me of Sarah Water's Fingersmith(which is an excellent novel) but of course, it had it's own voice and storyline. I have read a lot of people that say that Eagland's writing is detailed enough or complex enough but it is this aspect of her writing that made me like the book. She doesn't overshare, she paints the picture perfectly and doesn't overdo it. Additionally, this book provides great insight into how easy it was for women to be deemed "insane" during Victorian Times. To think that one could be dropped off at a psych ward for merely reading a lot, not wanting to get married and wanting to be a doctor and go to school. It goes to show how much society has progressed. Also, I enjoyed the dark aspects of this novel, however, I do wish Eagland would have gone a bit more into detail on more of the treatments in the ward. Regardless, the novel still has a sort of mysterious darkness to it and is very capable of sucking the reader in. Plus, Eagland throws a love twist in there, which although I thought predictable, it still made it more enjoyable. I'd recommend this book if you enjoy dark, suspenseful gripping stories that are set in Victorian Times.

I don't know why I went into this with such high expectations. I really thought we would get to really see the gritty details of asylum life in the Victorian era, but instead I kind of feel like the author copped out by letting the main character get lost in her own head. I dunno, I didn't hate it. I read it relatively fast. There were a handful of cliches that were too glaring to glaze over, and they kind of took me out of the story, but what can you do? So, it was okay. I won't reread it, but I don't feel like it's made me dumber or anything drastic like that. Just kind of lackluster when it could have been so great.

I found this book riveting. It was a page turner that held my interest all the way through. I liked the fact it was different from most lesbian novels I read. This one has plot, and strong characters that come across as individuals, as well as being well-paced and keeping the tension level up. Louisa Cosgrove finds herself being held in a lunatic asylum. She is unsure who has placed her there or why. Even her identity has been taken from her and she is registered as being someone named Amy Childs. As we examine Louisa's past history, the mystery intensifies as to who is the villain behind this. The author tells her story by moving back and forth each chapter between the horrors of the asylum and what has happened previously that may have led to this. I had no difficulty, however, in keeping matters straight as to what was occurring. I found myself really rooting for this endangered heroine. A great read for those who like books with some depth to them.

It's unbelievable that this novel isn't more well-known. The characters are well-developed and really make you care about them. The story is a lot like a Sarah Waters novel, except that some people find her books a little slow and boring and Wildthorn was like just the gritty, exciting stuff taken out and mashed together. Definitely belongs on a lesbian classic list. It leaves you feel inspired but still maintains a realistic take on life.

This book is such a good read. It was one of the earliest YA books that I owned and I constantly recommend this read to anyway interested in women's history, Victorian society and life. Even though it's a fictional story it has so many rings of truth about the Victorian age that it inspired me to further investigate the historical period. It's a great gateway book to interests in history.

To start with, it took me a while to get into this book and because of this I was a little hesitant to continue reading. However, I am very glad I did continue, as this book was a truly great read in the end. The story is set in the 19th century and starts when our protagonist, Louisa, is sent to an insane asylum. Louisa has no idea why she has been sent there, or who has sent her, and she spends a good length of the book trying to figure these things out. She knows that she is not insane, however it's up to the reader if they believe her or not. The narrative takes us from the present day, back to the past to Louisa's childhood, and there we learn about how she has always wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a doctor. A female doctor was not seen as acceptable in Louisa's time and as we read various 'flashbacks' we see how Louisa struggles with being different to most girls, and not living up to her mother's expectations of her. I thought that the plot was well thought out, and there were even a couple of twists, which I am not used to in a historical novel. I was very interested in the asylum and the culture of 19th century England, and Eagland managed to keep me intrigued throughout the novel. She painted a perfect picture of the era and some of the descriptions were so vivid I had to stop reading for a moment to take it all in. The character of Louisa was very likable, and I felt able to connect with her easily. I felt so sorry for her being locked up in the asylum for no apparent reason, but she was strong and that is what gave me hope. Overall, I highly recommend this book. As Jane Eagland's first book, I think she did a phenomenal job with it, and I will certainly be reading more of her works in the future.

This book was an easy read and I enjoyed that the events of the present were broken up by chapters exploring the past. It was a really good format for this kind of book. The premise was interesting enough to grab my attention and the events in the book were enough to keep it. The book felt very much like a first novel, which it was, and that lack of skill was noticeable in parts. However, for young LGBT readers, who are not old enough for Sarah Waters but love historical fiction, I think this is a great book for them to read.

I enjoyed the book and it was well received at Book Club. It is VERY like Fingersmith by Sarah Waters which I think is a better read.