I received a copy of this book from the author to review.
Mad Woman is a fictional account of a journalist called
Nellie Bly. In 1887, Nellie changes her name from Pink and moves from Pittsburgh
to New York in order to pursue a career in journalism – something almost
entirely unheard of for a woman in the nineteenth century.
Nellie had previously been working at the Pittsburgh Dispatch,
but wanted a career that was more than just writing women’s features for the
paper. However, securing a job in New York is much harder than she had imagined
and her money is dwindling fast.
Nellie knows that she needs to do something dramatic to
catch the attention of the newspaper editors and secure a livelihood. When she
suggests faking insanity to gain entry to the infamous asylum on Blackwell’s
Island, the editor and proprietor agree because they know it will be a huge
story if she can do it. The problem is that once people enter the island, they
very rarely leave. Can Nellie get the information she needs and manage to
escape to tell the tale?
This book is based on the real life of Nellie Bly, who in
the late eighteen hundreds, did fake madness to enter an asylum and uncover the
terrible conditions that patients were kept in. I actually had not heard of
Nellie before reading this book and found the account to be fascinating. She
was incredibly brave and determined.
Although this book is a fictional account, it does bring
Nellie, and the world around her vividly to life, especially the shocking conditions that those less fortunate in society were forced to live in.
This book is beautifully written and addictive to read. I highly recommend it, especially if you like historical fiction.
5 stars
