Dark secrets and deep betrayals haunt this extraordinary debut set in a Victorian madhouse
Wildthorn
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Product Description
Book Description
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. 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. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key . . .
About the Author
Born in Essex, Jane Eagland taught English in secondary schools for many years. After doing an MA in creative writing, she now divides her time between writing and tutoring. Wildthorn is her first novel, inpsired by true stories of women who were incarcerated in asylums in the nineteenth century. Jane lives in Lancashire, in a house with a view of the fells.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Chantal Lyons
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Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Don't start reading this book if you have a bunch of important things to do. You won't get them done till you've read whole book.
The promise of feminist overtones against the backdrop of Victorian England, and a mental asylum, was what peaked my interest. I studied a little of the treatment of Victorian mental patients in Psychology but to read a book concerning the main character's unjust incarceration in an asylum was horrific. The hatred I felt for the characters responsible for the cruelty at the asylum, and for the ones responsible for sending Louisa to the asylum was scarily real. The unfairness of her situation had me so riled, I had to quickly read the end of the book to see if she had a happy ending (which I've never done before).
The story is relentlessly gripping, with the narrative switching between the present, where Louisa is at the asylum, and the past, where we are shown the events that led up to her incarceration. The author's prose was pleasant enough to read, though it is the plot and its characters that drive the novel and distract from anything else. It was not predictable; at first, I thought I had easily sussed out the person responsible for putting Louisa in the asylum, but I turned out to be wrong.
I recommend this book to all teenage girls, and to those who are older. A brilliant historical fiction.
The promise of feminist overtones against the backdrop of Victorian England, and a mental asylum, was what peaked my interest. I studied a little of the treatment of Victorian mental patients in Psychology but to read a book concerning the main character's unjust incarceration in an asylum was horrific. The hatred I felt for the characters responsible for the cruelty at the asylum, and for the ones responsible for sending Louisa to the asylum was scarily real. The unfairness of her situation had me so riled, I had to quickly read the end of the book to see if she had a happy ending (which I've never done before).
The story is relentlessly gripping, with the narrative switching between the present, where Louisa is at the asylum, and the past, where we are shown the events that led up to her incarceration. The author's prose was pleasant enough to read, though it is the plot and its characters that drive the novel and distract from anything else. It was not predictable; at first, I thought I had easily sussed out the person responsible for putting Louisa in the asylum, but I turned out to be wrong.
I recommend this book to all teenage girls, and to those who are older. A brilliant historical fiction.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By N. Price
Format:Paperback
Louisa Cosgrove's trial and tribulations as she struggles to find out why she has been sent to Wildthorn make for a great read, I read the book in one sitting on a very long plane journey and was captivated until the end.
I have to agree with Dr Wynn and disagree with Fizz, there were enough twists to keep me guessing until the end, I had no idea as to the identity of Louise's captor until the final stages of the book, and the suspense as you wait to see if she will make her escape kept me on the edge of my seat.
For a first novel this one speaks volumes of the things to come from Eaglands future works, I wait with bated breath for the next!
I have to agree with Dr Wynn and disagree with Fizz, there were enough twists to keep me guessing until the end, I had no idea as to the identity of Louise's captor until the final stages of the book, and the suspense as you wait to see if she will make her escape kept me on the edge of my seat.
For a first novel this one speaks volumes of the things to come from Eaglands future works, I wait with bated breath for the next!
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Fizz
Format:Paperback
Reading Wildthorn has made me so grateful I was born in the 20th Century and not the 19th! I read the book in one sitting, and apparently even that could have got me into trouble as a woman in Victorian England.
I originally bought this book for my teenage niece, but have been unable to resist reading it first, partly to check the asylum scenes were not too scary, but mainly because I found it impossible to put down. I found Louisa's experiences of betrayal and incarceration an eye-opening window on the restrictions of Victorian society, and also enjoyed the book as a cracking mystery. I have now passed it on to my niece now, as I'm sure she will also enjoy it.
I originally bought this book for my teenage niece, but have been unable to resist reading it first, partly to check the asylum scenes were not too scary, but mainly because I found it impossible to put down. I found Louisa's experiences of betrayal and incarceration an eye-opening window on the restrictions of Victorian society, and also enjoyed the book as a cracking mystery. I have now passed it on to my niece now, as I'm sure she will also enjoy it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Victorian love that dare not speak its name
I was surprised by the quality of the writing and the pull of the story. I would have read it in one sitting if I could. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sph
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wildthorn
A good read - this gives a terrifying insight into society's attitude towards women in the not-too-distant past. Good book club reading material.
Published 6 months ago by A. Midwinter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really very good.
I don't read much historical fiction but the premise of this novel intrigued me. People in Victorian mental asylum's were treated cruelly and inhumanly which is about all I know on... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kay
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!!
This book has been on my wish list for so long, I only wish I had gotten round to reading it sooner. I loved it! I really couldnt put it down and got through it very quickly. Read more
Published 16 months ago by KarenCad
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wildthorn
Louisa Cosgrove is a 17 year old girl living in the Victorian era. She comes from a respectful family and has been brought up to be a lady. Read more
Published 21 months ago by B. Savage
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it in one day. Fantastic book!
I read this book in two sittings and would have read it in one if I didn't have to go out for a while. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ms. C. V. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Louisa Cosgrove is on her way to be a companion to the sister of her brother's acquaintance. Her mother insisted she require a chaperone on the long carriage ride. Read more
Published on 7 April 2011 by TeensReadToo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thrilling historical drama for teens (of all ages)
Set in the 19th Century, 'Wildthorn' is the tale of a formerly independent (for the time) young woman called Louisa who bucked many of the conventions of the time in terms of her... Read more
Published on 3 April 2011 by Melanie Pratt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
Wildthorn
Jane Eagland's first novel is a compelling read about the stifling conventions of Victorian society and their impact on young girls who feel themselves to be... Read more
Jane Eagland's first novel is a compelling read about the stifling conventions of Victorian society and their impact on young girls who feel themselves to be... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2011 by Julie Parker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Emotional and thought provoking
I was first drawn to this book by the striking but pretty cover when searching on Amazon and when I found out that it was set in the Victorian times (my favourite historical... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2010 by Judith Hill
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