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A review by hannahjsimpson
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
5.0
Grace Mae is a survivor. In Victorian Boston, Grace is committed by her family to a cruel asylum for an unwanted pregnancy. In these (sometimes literally) darkest days she has given up on life. But when things seem most bleak, a visiting doctor recognizes the fire and brightness buried deep within her. He takes her to a kinder facility in Ohio where they team up to unravel the mysteries of the criminal mind.
This book is absolutely riveting. I was hooked maybe 20 pages in. McGinnis is able to write descriptive paragraphs that are intertwined with action, driving me to turn each page rapidly. The strongest part of this book was the depth of her main character. Grace is angry and flawed, but fiercely smart, strong and kind. In fact, all the female characters, no matter how brief their stay in Grace's life are well rounded and rich. This is a novel of flawed but powerful women.
What I also liked about this book was the fact that it read sort of like an ancient procedural television show, which I happen to love. The thinking through the criminal process was extremely interesting, especially in the Victorian era where this sort of thinking was in it's most preliminary stages.
The setting of the asylum in Ohio is personally one of my favorites. It is set in a quiet southeast Ohio town with an asylum on a hill. Ring any bells, Bobcats? That's right, to research this book McGinnis visited the Ridges in Athens and based her institution on our beloved Ridges. This made my mental picture of the asylum and surrounding town in the book especially easy to picture. Although she never names the town in the book, she mentions Pomeroy as a neighboring town.
This is a great book. I highly recommend it for those interessted in criminal psychology or the history of women's rights. It's amazing to think of how easy it was for a woman to end up in an asylum at that time. (If you want to know more, Mindy McGinnis has posted an interesting list of some of the conditions that could land you in a mental asylum.)For me it was a quick read. Perfect for a chilly fall weekend.
This book is absolutely riveting. I was hooked maybe 20 pages in. McGinnis is able to write descriptive paragraphs that are intertwined with action, driving me to turn each page rapidly. The strongest part of this book was the depth of her main character. Grace is angry and flawed, but fiercely smart, strong and kind. In fact, all the female characters, no matter how brief their stay in Grace's life are well rounded and rich. This is a novel of flawed but powerful women.
What I also liked about this book was the fact that it read sort of like an ancient procedural television show, which I happen to love. The thinking through the criminal process was extremely interesting, especially in the Victorian era where this sort of thinking was in it's most preliminary stages.
The setting of the asylum in Ohio is personally one of my favorites. It is set in a quiet southeast Ohio town with an asylum on a hill. Ring any bells, Bobcats? That's right, to research this book McGinnis visited the Ridges in Athens and based her institution on our beloved Ridges. This made my mental picture of the asylum and surrounding town in the book especially easy to picture. Although she never names the town in the book, she mentions Pomeroy as a neighboring town.
This is a great book. I highly recommend it for those interessted in criminal psychology or the history of women's rights. It's amazing to think of how easy it was for a woman to end up in an asylum at that time. (If you want to know more, Mindy McGinnis has posted an interesting list of some of the conditions that could land you in a mental asylum.)For me it was a quick read. Perfect for a chilly fall weekend.