Wildthorn Review

Disclaimer: I bought this book to read to give it an honest opinion!


Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: 1/17/2012
Pages: 352

Overview
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 . . .

My Take
The cover on this book is stunning which caught my eye right away. As I started this book the book has Louisa reflect on her past memories to present day. I could tell right away which chapter was her past and which was the present along with the help of the font style being different. This book was well written as it captured how it felt to be an asylum during the Victorian age. It gives you quite a perspective on how things were done there.

Louisa is the main character in this book who is a strong character with the odds against her. She isn't portrayed as a normal Victorian woman as she has a sense of being a tomboy. She does want to follow her father's footsteps in the medical field which I thought was awesome. Sadly during that time, women weren't really acceptable to be doctors. She didn't have the same interests as what was normal for women during the time. She rose up to the task when everything was taken away from her during her time at the asylum. She conditions she goes through is heartbreaking but Louisa has a strong spirit. She also has help from Eliza within the asylum.

The entire book made me guess what was going to happen next for Louisa. Was she going to escape? Was she going to find out why she was put in the asylum? Would she see her family again? Would she find love? I'm not giving the whole story away.

It was quite a different read and yet I'm glad I read it. The history really gives you a perspective on how it was like back then as a woman to go through many different things. I'm glad the author wrote this book. Hope you pick up a copy today and dive right into it.

Cover Rating: A
Story Rating: B