Wildthorn - A Review

Wildthorn - Jane Eagland (Netgalley)

Product Details

• Pub. Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Format: Hardcover, 350pp
• Sales Rank: 305,681
• Age Range: 12 and up

• ISBN-13: 9780547370170
• ISBN: 0547370172

Synopsis

They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook by hook. Locked away in Wildthorn Hall—a madhouse—they take her identity. She is now called Lucy Childs. She has no one; she has nothing. But, she is still seventeen—still Louisa Cosgrove, isn't she? Who has done this unthinkable deed? Louisa must free herself, in more ways than one, and muster up the courage to be her true self, all the while solving her own twisted mystery and falling into an unconventional love . . .

Originally published in the UK, this well-paced, provocative romance pushes on boundaries—both literal and figurative—and, do beware: it will bind you, too.

My thoughts:

I don't often read historical novels but every once in awhile something draws me into one. I can honestly say, the cover of this book is what pulled me in. There's just something about it that makes you want to open and explore the story within and I'm glad I did.

This book started out with a heck of a hook. You have one character saying she's someone and all these other people saying she's someone else. Your immediately drawn into the mystery of Louisa Cosgrove. Is she or isn't she Louisa?

The story continues on leaving the reader grappling for clues and information. I wanted to believe her but at the same time, I was afraid she was really mad. Great storytelling!

Wildthorn is such a devastatingly horrible place and my heart ached for all the characters committed there. Such atrocities happened within those walls. All those poor girls! I just wanted to throttle the staff there. Makes you stop and think for a moment.

I will say, I had a bit of a hard time with the dual storyline going the majority of the book. It was like reading two books at the same time. A little distracting but in the end I think it really adds to the book.

Author's Website: Jane Eagland