Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmar...
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Jan 14, 2012
Donna
rated it: 
"Excessive study, especially in one of the fair sex, often leads to insanity."
Imagine that's the norm. Women reading? There must be something wrong with them. Why would they want to study? They're not capable of doing what the men folk can do. They don't have the brains for it. They'd only overexert themselves. Possibly twist their brains into incomprehension trying to process all of information that they could ever hope of processing.
Disregard every freedom you More...
Imagine that's the norm. Women reading? There must be something wrong with them. Why would they want to study? They're not capable of doing what the men folk can do. They don't have the brains for it. They'd only overexert themselves. Possibly twist their brains into incomprehension trying to process all of information that they could ever hope of processing.
Disregard every freedom you More...
Oct 05, 2011
Becca
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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20 comments
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Jan 16, 2012
Lou Eli
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I was wandering through Waterstones one day looking for new books to read. See I’m a person who tends to buy a book by it’s cover. The cover is the first thing I noticed. What drew me in was the lovely woven Victorian corset, with intricate details and a pretty font with a creative book title.
If a cover is striking triggers something in me, I usually buy the book without reading the blurb,.I do though have to get a good feel of it by reading the first few pages. Then I go on my merr More...
If a cover is striking triggers something in me, I usually buy the book without reading the blurb,.I do though have to get a good feel of it by reading the first few pages. Then I go on my merr More...
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Jul 04, 2011
Stephanie
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Eigentlich wollte Louisa Freunde ihres Bruders in Essex besuchen, doch der Kutscher liefert sie auf einem großen, ihr völlig unbekannten Anwesen ab, wo man sie bereits erwartet. Ehe sie es sich versieht, befindet sich Louisa in den Händen von Pflegern einer Anstalt für Geisteskranke. Zunächst ist die junge Frau fest davon überzeugt, dass hier ein Irrtum vorliegt, den sie schnell aufklären kann. Aber jegliches Beteuern ihrer geistigen Gesundheit wird nur als weiteres Anzeichen ihrer Krankheit aus
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Oct 19, 2011
Shannon
rated it: 
Louisa Cosgrove has always looked up to her father, a well-respected physician. Only he understands her and her scientific mind, her interest in medicine, which shocks her mother, angers her older brother Tom, and bewilders her favourite cousin, Grace. But when her father dies, Louisa begins to fear that her dreams of studying medicine at the ladies' college in London will never be realised, for it requires money and Tom, studying medicine himself, considers it a completely inappropriate occupat
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Sep 25, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
The first person narrative of Wildthorn draws you in, so much so you almost feel that you are being jolted around in an uncomfortable carriage alongside Louisa Cosgrove. You can feel the hurt and bitterness rolling off her as you join her in her journey, travelling with an unfamiliar chaperone to stay with an unfamiliar family. Louisa confides that she is to act as a companion to the eldest Woodville daughter, a position her bother Tom has arranged. You notice she is not best pleased with the id
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Dec 31, 2011
Erin
rated it: 
Unexpected twist on the romance (not gonna spoil it for ya), interesting structure and a really fascinating setting (an insane asylum in 19th century England), but it hammered home the "message" like a ton of bricks. The message being that poor, outcast Louisa is so different (so modern, really) that no one can understand her and they're all bad people because they don't understand.
The book had, in my opinion, a very slanted view of the past. It was condemning the period for More...
The book had, in my opinion, a very slanted view of the past. It was condemning the period for More...
Dec 27, 2011
Christina (Reading Thru The Night)
rated it:
First and foremost, I must publicly apologize for my lack of follow through and technological un-savyness. I first joined NetGalley back in July and requested Wildthorn for my Kindle. But for one reason or the next, I could never get it loaded. I finally purchased the book and read it on vacation.
And wow! It was so much more than what I hoped for.
What caught my interest in requesting it for a review were two specifics: the setting is both Victorian AND a mental asylum.
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And wow! It was so much more than what I hoped for.
What caught my interest in requesting it for a review were two specifics: the setting is both Victorian AND a mental asylum.
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Nov 26, 2011
Molly (Surrounded By Words)
rated it:
Set in nineteenth century London, Wildthorn is based on true accounts of life and treatment inside insane asylums during that time. Thinking she is going to live with the Woodville family as a companion to their eldest daughter, Louisa Cosgrove ends up at Wildthorn Hall. It's explained that she is very ill and in denial of her true identity, Lucy Childs. The more she protests and asserts that she is Louisa Cosgrove, the more she seems to affirm her status as a mental patient.
Louisa is More...
Louisa is More...
Sep 22, 2011
Miriam
rated it:
It’s a sweet, romantic little book. Louisa’s emotions are realistically raw and painful; her early unfounded hope and her growing sense of betrayal as she realizes that she is not in the asylum through sheer accident are particularly difficult. Eliza’s gentle raising of Louisa’s spirits and energy following a further catastrophe goes slowly but with a sense of the inevitable. Both Louisa’s early passionate crush on Grace and her more mature and balanced esteem for Eliza ring true.
Wildt More...
Wildt More...
Jul 22, 2011
Alicia
rated it:
I really didn't see the twists and turns in this book, and I have to say, I wasn't really expecting any; more a dull, period read involving a lunatic asylum - I couldn't have been any more wrong! This was a very well-written debut centred around what might happen if someone was falsely locked up, by someone they trusted no less, in a mental asylum in Victorian times, with just enough detail to effectively describe the horrors of the asylum, but not too much so that it got boring; the 'flashback'
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Jul 02, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
**Contains minor spoilers**
While I did find this book very easy to read, from the smooth transitions to the depth of characters, there were a few things that bothered me. I'll start my nitpicking at the actual writing. There were a fair amount of typos, which... if you know me, is frustrating. Things like "Was I good child?" or "took if off" and other such problems sometimes made me remember that I was reading someone's first novel, instead of letting me get sucked More...
While I did find this book very easy to read, from the smooth transitions to the depth of characters, there were a few things that bothered me. I'll start my nitpicking at the actual writing. There were a fair amount of typos, which... if you know me, is frustrating. Things like "Was I good child?" or "took if off" and other such problems sometimes made me remember that I was reading someone's first novel, instead of letting me get sucked More...
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Jul 01, 2011
danielle.
rated it:
“ . . . a girl who studied too much would become ‘dogmatic and presumptuous, self-willed and arrogant, eccentric in dress, and disagreeable in manner.’” (Eagland 82).
Louisa Cosgrove is certainly not the average Victorian young lady. She entertains dreams of becoming a doctor, like her father. She spurns the idea that a woman must be married in order to be complete and happy. She dreams of a world where she is free to be herself. Sadly, in Victorian England, these fanciful idea More...
May 10, 2011
Audrey
rated it:
I really really really LOVED this book, and I desperately wanted to feel like I could give it 5 stars or even 4 1/2 stars. Unfortunately, though, there were just some parts that felt over-contrived. If that makes sense. As difficult as it was to get to the point in which things worked out for Lou, things worked out just a little bit too easily for her. Things always ended up being pretty much EXACTLY as you expected them to be.
That said, this book read SO smoothly. I had barely started More...
That said, this book read SO smoothly. I had barely started More...
Apr 01, 2011
So this was another case of “oh my gosh the cover is so pretty I MUST READ THIS NOW!” Also, I thought the blurb sounded interesting but, as I discovered while reading, I had completely misread the blurb. I don’t know how or why but I was expecting this book to be a fantasy. It really, really was not.
Lousia Cosgrove is leaving her home for the first time, escaping from the poor relationship she has with her mother, and going to work for a family she’s barely ever heard of. When her ca More...
Lousia Cosgrove is leaving her home for the first time, escaping from the poor relationship she has with her mother, and going to work for a family she’s barely ever heard of. When her ca More...
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Mar 08, 2011
Imo :D (Omnom Books)
rated it:
All i can say is, i really didn't like this book.
It focussed mainly on Louisa's misunderstood admission to Wildthorn hall, a...controversial psychiatric hospital. Whilst Louisa is not insane, and has never been, i found myself growing tired with her increasingly desperate raves about her sanity, and began to wonder if her family had actually done the right thing in sending her there.
For me this is on of thoe books where you can't wait for it to finish, and you only keep r More...
It focussed mainly on Louisa's misunderstood admission to Wildthorn hall, a...controversial psychiatric hospital. Whilst Louisa is not insane, and has never been, i found myself growing tired with her increasingly desperate raves about her sanity, and began to wonder if her family had actually done the right thing in sending her there.
For me this is on of thoe books where you can't wait for it to finish, and you only keep r More...
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Feb 26, 2011
Diyou
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Feb 23, 2011
M
rated it:
I found Wildthorn's premise and cover art intriguing. The novel itself left me with very mixed impressions. The author built an interesting, informative storyline around a powerful, admirable heroine. Setting and atmosphere portrayed in beautiful language captivated me until I couldn't put the book down. This novel boasts all the earmarks of excellent gothic romance and throws in a pinch of social commentary. Eagland's descriptive writing is well above average, compelling and lyrical More...
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Feb 19, 2011
cecilia
rated it:
Wildthorn threw me off-guard - I'm not sure what I had been expecting, but it was along the lines of something magical as the shiny, metallic pink cover suggested (at least in my mind). Even though there was no magic to be had, I still found myself quite entranced with Louisa's predicament of what has to be a horrible case of mistaken identity.
The first half of the book alternates between Louisa's past and present - and the flashbacks serve as a way to get to know Louisa better as a pr More...
The first half of the book alternates between Louisa's past and present - and the flashbacks serve as a way to get to know Louisa better as a pr More...
Feb 05, 2011
MaryBookSwarm
rated it:
Historical fiction isn't my current preferred genre (back in high school, I went through a long period where I read nothing but historical romances. Oh, and assigned readings, of course. But that was years ago.), but the premise of this story intrigued me. The main character, Louisa, has always dreamed of being a doctor like her father but, unfortunately for her, she lives in a time when women are expected to be nothing more than good hostesses and pretty decorations. Her continuing desire to le
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Jan 17, 2011
Sarai
rated it:
I liked it all right. The description of the insane asylum was interesting, but I found the characters a bit stilted. I wish the book had been more than it was. It had a lot of good ideas happening and a lot of potential to tell a truly interesting and informative story about the time period, but it felt kind of light and did not go into the depths that would have made it a really good read.
Product Description
They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook More...
Product Description
They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook More...
Dec 29, 2010
Karissa
rated it:
I got a digital galley of this novel from netgalley.com. I am glad I did it was a very interesting read and I enjoyed it a lot.
Louisa Cosgrove is sent away from her family to serve as a Governess, but she doesn't arrive at their house. Instead she finds herself arriving at Wildthorn an asylum for the mentally handicapped. She is told her name is Lucy Childs and that she is mentally sick. Louisa protests but the more she denies, the more the caretaker insists that her denial is proo More...
Louisa Cosgrove is sent away from her family to serve as a Governess, but she doesn't arrive at their house. Instead she finds herself arriving at Wildthorn an asylum for the mentally handicapped. She is told her name is Lucy Childs and that she is mentally sick. Louisa protests but the more she denies, the more the caretaker insists that her denial is proo More...
Dec 17, 2010
Between the Covers
rated it:
Really 4.5 stars
Louisa Cosgrove knows who she is. Though she dreams of being a doctor, she is going to the Woodvilles' to be a young lady's companion. She is not Lucy Childs, and she does not belong in an insane asylum...does she? Convinced that there has been a mistake, or a betrayal, Louisa tries desperately to find her way out of Wildthorn Hall. But things aren't always what they seem...and when the truth is unraveled, lives will be changed forever.
As someone who loves Vic More...
Louisa Cosgrove knows who she is. Though she dreams of being a doctor, she is going to the Woodvilles' to be a young lady's companion. She is not Lucy Childs, and she does not belong in an insane asylum...does she? Convinced that there has been a mistake, or a betrayal, Louisa tries desperately to find her way out of Wildthorn Hall. But things aren't always what they seem...and when the truth is unraveled, lives will be changed forever.
As someone who loves Vic More...
Dec 14, 2010
Candace
rated it:
Wow. I'm not quite sure what to say about this book without giving too much away. This book is about a young woman in the 19th century who is committed to an insane asylum but has no idea why she is there or who is responsible. I read it because I thought the premise sounded interesting, just from reading the inside front flap of the book. I have always been fascinated/horrified with stories about insane asylums, especially those from this era which were not run in a humane manner. The boo
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Dec 04, 2010
Trisha
rated it:
Louisa Cosgrove arrived at Wildthorn in a horse-drawn carriage unhappy but safe. Minutes later she is stripped of her clothing, told her name is Lucy Childs, and committed to the asylum. Shaken, she struggles to maintain her identity as she reflects on the events leading up to her involuntary and unexpected imprisonment. Reading this book was a very enjoyable experience, in no small part because it kept reminding me of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith which I adored. A Victorian setting, highlighting
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Nov 21, 2010
Mary Grace
rated it:
Wildthorn has been a compelling read from start to finish. I haven't read any reviews before I picked up this book though I noticed that it gathered mixed rating from fellow book reviewers. Enough to pique my curiosity.
I was always fascinated by the Victorian era. Plus having a lovely cover of a girl wearing a corset made me more intrigued with the book. The story goes as Lucy (Louisa or Lou) of having trouble with how society thinks of her; the troubles she encounters in people, with More...
I was always fascinated by the Victorian era. Plus having a lovely cover of a girl wearing a corset made me more intrigued with the book. The story goes as Lucy (Louisa or Lou) of having trouble with how society thinks of her; the troubles she encounters in people, with More...
Sep 08, 2010
Meg
rated it:
In Wildthorn, Louisa Cosgrove desires to become a doctor herself, despite her mother and oppressive Victorian society in general's disapproval of the idea of a female physician. Her father supports her in this desire, providing a balance against her oppressive mother, while her brother remains ever on the sidelines, derailing Louisa at every possible opportunity, from earliest childhood on. Her aunt and cousin Grace, while never weighing in on the physician issue in the early parts of the novel,
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Aug 15, 2010
Nafiza
rated it:
Wildthorn presents a journey of a girl who dares to be different, dares to be an individual in a world where gender expectations are set, almost in stone. Louisa loves to learn, has a curious inquiring mind and an ambition that is at odds with her gender. In fact, she is considered unnatural because of her bluestocking tendencies. These factors (amongst others) serve to have her incarcerated in an asylum. I think this portion of the book is particularly well done as the author manages to por
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Aug 13, 2010
Angela
rated it:
In stories about mental illness, I love it when authors can make me feel just as off-kilter as the protagonist is. Questioning what's real and what isn't pulls me into the story and I can't let go until I finally figure out what's going on! In Wildthorn, Eagland succeeds at this by keeping us in the dark about the protagonist's identity - is she Louisa Cosgrove, or Lucy Childs as the hospital staff insists she is? There's just enough mystery left about some vaguely traumatic incident that for qu
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Aug 04, 2010
Rachael
rated it:
Something is seriously wrong. Louisa Cosgrove thought she was supposed to be taken to stay with the Woodvilles, but instead, she’s at someplace called Wildthorn Hall and people are calling her Lucy Childs. But Louisa isn’t Lucy…is she? She doesn’t belong in an insane asylum, right? Louisa is determined to figure out why she’s here, but she has nothing, not even her own identity. Still she persists, because she knows she has to escape. She cannot stay here or she will surely lose herself—and the
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