I sometimes think Eagland forgot she was writing about Victorian times, but other than that I thought the book was alright.

I found this a fairly quick read and certainly enjoyable. Soon they form a friendship and with Eliza’s help Louisa is able to piece together what happened, who betrayed her and why she is trapped at Wildthorn. Everyone, that is, except Eliza, the helper who doesn’t like how people are treated. The more she tries to explain who she really is, the more they think she is mad. There she loses her identity and is subject to horrid treatment. Instead she is dropped of at Wildthorn, a lunatic asylum. Soon Louisa finds herself being shipped off to a family far away, but she never makes it there. She has discovered she doesn’t love men, she likes women, something that is not allowed in Victorian society so she has to keep these feelings hidden. Louisa is also struggling with her feelings for her cousin. Her mother loses herself in grief and has to be tended too and her brother Tom is angry at Louisa and has given in the freedom London provides. She has the support of her father, but when he dies life changes for her. Her dream is to become to attend the London School of Medicine for Women and to become a doctor. The protagonist is Louise Cosgrove, an intelligent girl who is more interested in science and medicine than she is to conforming to society and being seen as a “lady”. I was fortunate to receive it to review from netGallery and I enjoyed it. This is a young adult, historical novel, and the first Jane Eagland novel I have read. She must be honest with herself – and others – in order to be set free. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labelled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. Kobo eBook (September 6th, 2010): $8.Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor’s daughter.

Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Emotions & Feelings.

Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories.

Young Adult Fiction / Historical / Europe.

'Fans of historical fiction or GLBTQ fiction will likely enjoy this unique story of mystery and romance.'- VOYA Teens will identify with her.'- School Library Journal 'Eagland does a beautiful job of depicting the 'real' Louisa in the end, with an unusual twist on the conventional romantic denouement. The surprisingly happy ending-in which Louisa escapes and confronts her accusers-is a welcome relief after all of her angst and despair.'- Publishers Weekly

'The author tenderly and expertly builds a romance between Louisa and an attendant, Eliza. 'Louisa and Eliza provide a window into a shameful history of mental health care and women's incarceration that only ended in living memory.'- Kirkus Reviews

Wildthorn book