Madwoman

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At times the book felt more like the presentation of facts rather than engaging historical fiction. I was left with a nice introduction to Nellie Bly, but the interior workings and emotions of each character didn’t shine through. But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out?

Growing up in a home with two older brothers who are granted more freedom than her, Bly is restless for a life beyond what a girl is “supposed” to do. Her parents, too, reinforce these [binaried] societal narratives and conventions: Women are expected to be quiet, submissive, diplomatic, let things go, not get angry and conditioned to be subservient. However, Bly’s father gives her a glimmer of hope beyond this when he gives her a book and pen that shows that when you give a child a pencil, you give her an entire world. I’d heard the name Nelly Bly but knew nothing more about the woman at the heart of this story. But as soon as I read the synopsis and saw the striking cover I knew I needed to read this book. I needed to know what kind of woman would willingly get herself committed to an asylum in the nineteenth century and just what did she experience while there? Treger provides a moving story, particularly powerful in its depiction of Bly’s desperate efforts to retain her sanity in the midst of institutional madness.’I flew through the book it’s not an easy read due to the content but it’s an important read we owe it to all those poor unfortunates know just what hell they went through. A fascinating story of a can-do woman, but I could've come to every conclusion the book laid out for me without being told. Madwoman‘ is based on the true story of Nellie Bly, the world’s first female investigative journalist and is one of my favourite books so far this year.

Madwoman by Louisa Treger is an engrossing story giving a fascinating insight into the remarkable life of pioneering 19th century journalist Nellie Bly. Well, didn’t I get a surprise to find out that the was so much more than my BookTrail hero! Nellie Bly was infact the first female investigative journalist. She grew up in Pennsylvania in 1870s and had a father who was strong and encouraged her to read, follow politics and be educated. He gave her a great start in life as he encouraged her to research for him. Eventually, she became a journalist and wanted to enter what was, and often still is, a man’s world. She witnessed her mum being abused by her second husband and so that makes her all the more determined to stand up for herself and stand out. After getting close to another patient Bly confirms that “so, the women you’ve been telling me about are branded mad simply for rebelling against our system, which keeps them downtrodden? […] Men make up narratives that put them here”. This time in the asylum is a mix of optimism – the sense that her plan is working and the opportunity to write something big – and a place of terrible tragedy: the dispossession of women deemed “mad” or inconvenient.Every literary festival stays in an author’s mind for slightly individual reasons. I shall remember the Oxford festival for: One of the summer’s most hotly anticipated novels… The book’s themes of attitudes to mental health, and women having to fight for professional success are strikingly relevant today. It’s also a seriously good read.’