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The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls

4.65 of 5 stars 4.65 · rating details · 573 ratings · 67 reviews

Presenting Emilie Autumn's long awaited autobiographical, reality-bending thriller, "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls." This beautifully bound hardcover volume measures 8" x 11.5" and clocks in at a massive 274 fully illustrated pages. Positively packed with hand-written memoirs, photos, and paintings, this profoundly empowering epic not only deserves a place on your...more

Hardcover, First Edition, 274 pages

Published December 15th 2009 by Emilie Autumn Ent. LLC

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Aug 11, 2012 Synesthesia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist

This book was INTENSE. Emilie Autumn's insights about bipolar disorder and mental health care were extremely fascinating. I'll have to write a better review when I read this book again. It also has some very interesting illustrations.

Damn, the Victorian Era sucked. I love the aesthetics but not the era.

This book is a story within a story. You have Emilie Autumn being forced into an institution after a suicide attempt. She talks about how her freedom and privacy was taken from her and wonders how...more

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Jan 21, 2010 alex. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, own, memoir-biography, death, mental-health, all-time-favourites, music, dear-diary, freaks-and-geeks

**Possibly SPOILERIFFIC. You've been warned.**

I've been a huge muffin of Emilie Autumn's for years now, even having met her on one glorious occasion after seeing her magnificent live show. She is someone I highly look up to. She's graceful, elegant, intelligent, talented and beautiful. Of course we all knew her to be an incredible artist, but this book completely blew away any of the expectations I had.

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is a large, glossy coffee table book, and though it is...more

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Feb 04, 2012 Persephone rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, fantasy, fiction, mental-illness, nonfiction, read2011, read2012

I feel like I've found some kindred spirits within the book of a kind I've never known before. It makes me want to research and read other accounts of victorian insanity in women. I told my husband this and he didn't understand at all why I would want to read what must be such disturbing accounts. And I didn't really have any kind of good answer for him. But now I think it's that kinship that I'm feeling making me want to connect with them and share in their stories.

Like the members of the strip...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars

Incredible and accurate insight into the life of the bipolar, the state of mental health care past and present, along with a fantastic fiction tale... My only criticisms are that the second half of the book drops off and becomes too disorganized and almost random, the offensive language used towards mentally ill people (at least Autumn portrays herself honestly?)and Emily's story winds up too slowly before reaching the Count. A lengthy, heavy tome, but definitely worth a read, even if not a fan...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

It was fascinating, essentially like reading two books in tandem. Ms. Autumn shares an incredibly intimate autobiographical piece intertwined with a wonderfully dark gothic fantasy/horror piece and effectively binds them together into an engaging book. The autobiographical content is a rare glimpse into the thoughts of a person suffering from bi-polar disorder, suicidal tendencies, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. I personally found her "Cutting Diary" section to be very revealing in her descr...more It was fascinating, essentially like reading two books in tandem. Ms. Autumn shares an incredibly intimate autobiographical piece intertwined with a wonderfully dark gothic fantasy/horror piece and effectively binds them together into an engaging book. The autobiographical content is a rare glimpse into the thoughts of a person suffering from bi-polar disorder, suicidal tendencies, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. I personally found her "Cutting Diary" section to be very revealing in her description of self-harm and the emotions and thoughts behind this behavior. Also, she shares the feelings she has as the result of her being a victim of rape. It is a revealing offering for those studying psychology, and has been an affirmation to those who have suffered from similar disorders. The only problem I had with it is that sometimes the amount of time spent in one reality was so long that it took a little bit to transition into the other.
Her fictional work, the story of Emily, an unwilling inmate in an Asylum for "wayward" Victorian girls is a terrific piece of flashy fiction. It is the story of girls who, for no other reason than their having been born female, are perpetual victims - first of their society, then by the institution which that society has put them into to "get rid" of them. Women as victims of their physiology and of the patriarchy that still holds in almost all of the world's "civilizations" today. It is an allegory for the life of every young woman. Subject to the whims of the men in power, their sexuality their crime. It even touches on the judgement and jealousy of young women by older women who no longer hold the power that the sexuality of their youth granted them, the older woman having accepted the "superiority" and the idea that the men in charge know what is best for these women. Though the vehicle is fanciful - a mad doctor's attempt to take over the world with a deliberately created strain of the Bubonic Plague.
The book is full of gorgeous photos of Ms. Autumn and unique illustrations and graphics by the multi-talented author.
It is a must read for any fan of her esoteric musical career. It is currently unlikely that anyone unfamiliar with Emilie Autumn's music would find themselves with the opportunity to read this book. It often sites song lyrics, giving the reader a sense of what specifically inspired some of her songs. Ms. Autumn currently (Feb. 2013) is in the process of creating a musical stage production based on the story of the fictional Emily's life in The Asylum. I think that it will become more popular, and possibly more readily available to the general public when it becomes a stage production. Although it may well remain a "cult" piece, it will, I think in the long run, find a place in established literature in the years to come.
The combination of her music and this book is absolutely unique in their presentation and Ms. Autumn has created a safe community - mostly of young women, gay and bi-sexuals, and so-called "misfits" - for those who have shared some of the issues she shares in her book and through her music.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Ophelia Mercy rated it 4 of 5 stars

60+ Dollars well spent? Yes, for the content. No for the actaul quality of the book. I have been a hard-core EA fan for about six years. I have every CD and of course I have seen her live a multitude of times. In 2009 I had heard that EA would be releasing a book my jaw dropped. Then it did it again. The price is crazy. After about four years I caved and got the book. I knew it was a big book, really I did. I had no idea it would be that freaking big!

I really don't even know where to begin, hon...more 60+ Dollars well spent? Yes, for the content. No for the actaul quality of the book. I have been a hard-core EA fan for about six years. I have every CD and of course I have seen her live a multitude of times. In 2009 I had heard that EA would be releasing a book my jaw dropped. Then it did it again. The price is crazy. After about four years I caved and got the book. I knew it was a big book, really I did. I had no idea it would be that freaking big!

I really don't even know where to begin, honestly I have debated how to write this review for hours. A list of pros and cons will have to do.
Pros+
+The book is beautiful from cover to cover. almost every page shows EA's special brand of madness.
+Emilie's voice is amazing throughout the book. Not only does she excel vocally, but her written voice is a hammer in your head; she hits every note(musical pun?)that you as the reader could want. Humour, inteligence, charisma and most of all honesty.
+Emilie is not our only protag. though. Emily, a victorian mad-girl takes up the bulk of the book. Emily(note the Y) is less provocitive, less memorable, but still an amazing voice in the book. Her world is turned upside down and then side-ways when she is thrown into a life of brutality and insanity.
+The book delivers on what it promises, Emilie tells the truth at all cost. Even going as far as copying entire diaries onto the books pretty pages. The Cutting Diary. The Suicde Diary and The Drug Diary. All three show the dark under-stockings of Emilies personal life. The shocker(also another pun to those who have read the book)is that this book was researched. IT shows a great deal. Items used to "treat" insanity. Methods that are factaul, not just filler bunk.
+The last point is the ending. Believe it or not the ending is brutal and amazing, as well as emotinally touching. (Read Hamelt to understand the final lines of the book.)

Cons-
-The book is not just Emilie's story from her cell in an actaul asylum, it actaully takes place in a "Real Victorian Asylum".(for the most part anyway) No, or at least not really. There was a good deal of research to make it seem more real. As well as Emilie's actual experience to base it off, but we all know.
-Emily is less so than our own Emilie. She outside of her wit is rather one sided. Her fellow inmates have more life that she "rides" on.
-There are a few spelling errors and the book takes place in England, where is the queens english? Well its there in tid bits.
-The medical side of the book is lite to say the least. It's there like sugar in "lite" frosting, but its just not enough.
-Finally my largest complaint, and really the only one that isn't going to sound 'knit picky is, THE BIDING IS COMPLETE TRASH! RUBBISH for the price I paid. When the book arived first class, in a padded box the binding was shoddy at best. I can't believe how poorly the book is bound. The pages are heavy, holding it is awkward, due in large part to my fear that the binding would just fall apart.

Emilie delivers a masterwork, with everything from beauty to horror in its pages. A true story, and a dark horror story. However that cheap binding and the poor quality of some of the pages really hamper the adveture through pure insanity. You will not forget the world EA gives you. You will also never forget the price you paid for a cheap quality book. FIve star story and re-readability, but the binding knocked it down a peg. (less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is amazing, definitely on of my favourites.
Not only is it amazing in terms of content it is also amazing visually (And I've always been a sucker for a beautiful book that looks good on the bookshelf)

The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, is a semi-autobiographical, fantasy novel, I did think this to be an odd combination at fist. However, Emilie Autumn presents the story in a way that works, with smooth changes from the real world to the fictional Asylum.
This book has blood, gore, f...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-recommend

Oh Emilie, I adore you. You speak to me in so many ways, it's almost as if you're a voice in my head who understands me, but it brings me joy to know that you're real.

From her spectacular ability to play classic violin, to her ability to shred notes on an electric one, to her vocals and her unique ability to play and write all kinds of music, Emilie Autumn is one of the greatest talents of the last century. Ah, but I must review the book and not the musical genius, so here goes...

I want to get o...more Oh Emilie, I adore you. You speak to me in so many ways, it's almost as if you're a voice in my head who understands me, but it brings me joy to know that you're real.

From her spectacular ability to play classic violin, to her ability to shred notes on an electric one, to her vocals and her unique ability to play and write all kinds of music, Emilie Autumn is one of the greatest talents of the last century. Ah, but I must review the book and not the musical genius, so here goes...

I want to get out of the way that I don't think this book is any piece of literary genius, there are far greater pieces of prose and writing out there.

What this book is, is a gripping tale of morbid intrigue. I almost wanted to weep while reading it, but I couldn't...it was too real for me. I cannot claim to have suffered exactly what Emilie has suffered, but I have suffered and in some way am still suffering. The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls is, in some respects, also my own biography as much as it is Emilie's

This book is a fascinating tale of a self harming manic depressed woman told from the point of view of the manic bipolar woman. As someone who has suffered (granted very, very mild in comparison) like Emilie has it is almost a breath of fresh air to see what I feel written down for all to see and it's even better that no one is apologizing for it. It is an intriguing marriage of an autobiography of my absolute favorite musician and the fiction that is the story behind her most recent albums (Opheliac and Fight Light a Girl). As a fan of Emilie it's magical to be able to read behind the scenes and understand the story behind the set of her performances, in essence this is a book in a series, but the rest of the series is musical in nature.

Again, as a fan of Emilie I like being able to understand her and her music better. I know that her experiences have made her a stronger woman, but being able to read what she went through (Mentally if nothing else) makes me appreciate just how strong she is that much more, and fascinates me how she can still be so kind, graceful, elegant and incredible intelligent even after all of this.

This book is definitely for Emilie Autumn fans, in fact I really believe you must have read it in order to be a true fan, because without it you will never know the whole story.

For everyone else, it's a fascinating tale of just how real and scary manic depression is.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Kirryn rated it 4 of 5 stars

First thing first about this book: it is large. It's a coffee-table sized (the same size as a coffee-table book, I mean, not the size of a coffee-table) and HEAVY. Drop it on someone's head from a decent enough height and I daresay you'd do them a fair amount of damage.

Secondly, it is full-colour and glossy, jam-packed with illustrations and handwritten pieces from Emilie herself, photos, scans of appropriate...objects (I'm trying to stay spoiler-free here; chances are I won't be able to), so on...more

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May 12, 2013 Caroline Åsgård rated it 5 of 5 stars

So! Emilie Autumn's autobiographical novel! Wow...

Well firstly, the book is huge, glossy and weighs nearly 5 pounds! So this is basically a work of art, that you'd either be proud to display, or lock protected in a vault forever so it doesn't get damaged (I do the latter).

Okay, so this is autobiographical. For those who don't know, Emilie Autumn is bipolar / manic depressive, and has been through a LOT of shit in her life, and she's still here to talk about it - And immortalize it in her book.
Th...more So! Emilie Autumn's autobiographical novel! Wow...

Well firstly, the book is huge, glossy and weighs nearly 5 pounds! So this is basically a work of art, that you'd either be proud to display, or lock protected in a vault forever so it doesn't get damaged (I do the latter).

Okay, so this is autobiographical. For those who don't know, Emilie Autumn is bipolar / manic depressive, and has been through a LOT of shit in her life, and she's still here to talk about it - And immortalize it in her book.
The book starts off with her talking about the voices she's always heard and how she copes with them. The book is written in letters, the parts from her life are called ''hospital entries'', and is about her experience with being in the psych ward, after a suicide attempt.

Then comes the novel part. There are also some mysterious ''asylum letters'', which talk about Emily-with-a-y, who lives in the Victorian period, and tells her horrible life story. It's really exciting, and leaves you reading the book hastily in terror, to read what happens next! And asking yourself if she ever will experience something good.

Emilie Autumn uses the book to show that mental health care today is really not that different from what it was 200 years ago, in a really genious and thrilling way.

But wait, there's more! In addition to fun facts, art and pictures, there are three diaries in between that are a little bit more extreme: The cutting, drug and suicide diaries. Emilie leaves nothing out here, and spills it all for you to see. These parts are not for the faint-hearted! And can be triggering for self-harmers and so on, so be warned.

As someone with mental problems myself, I really enjoyed the book, and it really helped me cope with my feelings, and inspired me to finally get help (even though the book doesn't portray mental health facilities in a positive way at all). I actually read it between every book I read, and no, I never get tired!

This book is amazing, it's really precious to me, so I'd recommend it to everyone who can take it! Spead the plague! :D

Asylum Army Soldier #127(less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Dark, gritty and inspirational, "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls" is a must-read for any history enthusiast and Emilie Autumn fan. Combining segments from her own diaries with the fantastical otherworld that Emily-with-a-y inhabits, Autumn not only hopes to shed light on the many similarities between the horrific practices of 19th centry insane asylums and the psychatric facilities that exist today, but on the very nature of sanity itself.

Not only is the book a brilliant story, but it's a...more

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Jan 30, 2010 Ashley Rieflin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I would like to say that I was unable to relate to most of Emilie Autumn's harrowing tale of the time she spent in a mental institution for trying to kill herself and the parallel story that she created about a young girl in the Victorian era who was also sent to a mental institution. I would like to say that I never thought of killing myself. I would like to say that I never attempted to kill myself before. On most days I forget that the event ever happened. I have masterfully convinced myself...more I would like to say that I was unable to relate to most of Emilie Autumn's harrowing tale of the time she spent in a mental institution for trying to kill herself and the parallel story that she created about a young girl in the Victorian era who was also sent to a mental institution. I would like to say that I never thought of killing myself. I would like to say that I never attempted to kill myself before. On most days I forget that the event ever happened. I have masterfully convinced myself that every moment of that summer was a dream, and that I am not that girl (and I was never that girl) and that it was just another story in my mind that felt real. Real and painful but in the end, just make believe. Like magic. Like faeries. Just another thing I made up but then began to believe in.

But I cannot make Drew forget about it. I cannot make my parents forget about it. That summer was more real to them then it was to me. I spent it in a drugged sleep. They spent it in a nightmare reality. There are emotions they felt they I have never witnessed. I heard that when I was in the emergency room my father had a crazed temper tantrum in the waiting room. I have never once seen my father lose his temper. I didn't see it then. But Drew was forced to see it.

"Depression is a rather rude houseguest; Depression rarely calls ahead to see if it's a good time, and Depression never arrives alone. It brings it friends: Despair, Self-Injury and Suicide. Depression is the invisible plague."

In the end I was lucky because I was not committed to a mental hospital. I swallowed a jar of Ibuprofen and was sent to a psychiatrist who I was able to convince of my sanity so quickly that after a half hour long session he did not ask to see me again. After a life as a child of divorced parents, a victim of abuse, and a troubled teen (I once wrote a death note to one of my classmates, I got into numerous fist fights in high school, and I have violently kicked in lockers and thrown desks) I have only seen a psychiatrist twice. Does that make me angry? Do I wish I had received more attention? I had severe depression for two years--years where I would sleep for eighteen hours a day and cry at every waking second, and I had no one to talk to. No one wanted to talk to me. No one thought I needed help. They just considered my behavior as a sign of lazy rebelliousness. I was "acting out". In a drunken speech a few months ago, I brought up my suicide attempt to my mother and she began to cry. "You were reaching out to me," she said. But I wasn't. I am not mad that I did not receive more attention because that would mean that I had only ever cut myself or tried to kill myself to GAIN attention. And I did not.

"Nothing in my life has ever made me want to commit suicide more than people's reaction to my trying to commit suicide".

Besides, I was able to cure myself wasn't I? The Cure. That invisible spectrum that haunts the dreams of every poor soul that ever once thought of inflicting damage upon themselves in order to drown the voices in their head--to be normal. Just once. Depression and suicide may sound romantic to a person standing on the outside looking in, and don't try deny it because you know it does, but I would never even wish such an emotion upon my evilest characters.

I cured myself. Or at least, was able to help myself forget, through my writing. I wrote the demons and I told my story and I vomited worlds of darkness and suffering onto paper and onto computer screens. Some of these worlds I shared with others while others I kept locked away.

"I'm not stupid. I know exactly what's going on, and I'm not fighting it. If I have to go through this, I will glean from it any small benefit I can receive. I will not fight this. Bring it on. Bring on the cure. Bring on the fucking happy. I'm committed."

In a way, that is what Emilie did with this book. It is a hard book to read. The fictional parts are dramatized to make them sound more horrific than they historically were and the accounts from Emilie's own experience are even more numbing because you know that they are not make believe. But I can sympathize with her desire to make the parallel, fictional story as bloody as possible--because that is what your mind sees when you are plummeting through despair: just endless grotesque scenes that would shake the heart of any sane person, but for you is as normal as the sun rising. I know that my mind was and is still plagued by the most horrible thoughts. But what is even worse is that I cannot actually see why they are horrifying. I have had people read my stories only for them to freak out. I've had my sister call my father in a horrible panic, I've had my mother cry because of something that I've written down, and I never once thought that what I had written might have been something bad.

Reading The Asylum for Wayward Victorian girls has caused all these old memories and thoughts to surface, and no, that is not exactly a good thing. The first time I was ever able to write about my suicide attempt was two months ago, I think I'm beginning to come to terms with it.

Many people are writing about how hard it was for them to read some of the scenes in the book, and how it made them cry. I read it with a certain amount of morbid fascination and admiration (for Emilie's writing style). I did not cry once. I did not even think of crying. I know that facing the demons is a good, positive thing. And that is what Emilie did. With this book she faced her demons. It may be a hard read for some people who do not like to read about suffering and pain. If you like to keep your library filled with positive, happy literature than do not even attempt to open this book. It does contain within it endless sources of truth--the truth of what it means to love, to hate, to suffer, and to believe in the power of your own creation to lead you out of the darkness. The human mind is an abandoned house that must be filled with your own riches--whether that house be a place of love and warmth, or whether it is an asylum.(less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Zsofia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who likes Emilie Autumn, or wants to know of bipolar disorder

Absolutely love this book, for what is written inside, for its aesthetics,...
If you know anything of Emilie Autumn, you will know what this is about. I shall not include a synopsis, but let me tell you, this book is amazing (yes, I am a "Muffin", an Emilie Autumn fan). Who knows what was real and what wasn't, what was only perceived to be real, an illusion.
I tried to make it a slow read, so I could seep it in slowly, but I could not resist, it was so exciting, so stunning, at times so brutal, an...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really felt connected to this book, though at times some of Emilie's experiences hit a little too close to home. As a loyal fan of Emilie Autumn's music and having seen her live several times over the years, I found it enlightening to have her candidly express all she's been through; I can see now what fueled her songs and her cast of stage characters. This book is a mix of her real-life experiences in a mental asylum and her escapist fantasies of a Victorian asylum. She makes some very insigh...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Lina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction

This book is the tale of Emilie Autumn's stay in a mental asylum after her failed suicide attempt. Within the true story is also another story (which I believe was created in Emilie's own mind as a way to cope with her stay) of a girl named Emily-with-a-y, who is from Victorian times and also in an Asylum for suicide.

There is no denying this book is intense, that is part of a reason it took so long for me to finish it. Even though it is 266 pages, it is about the size of a dictionary in height....more

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May 23, 2012 LadyUnlaced rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I am a huge plague rat and was so thrilled when I finally got this book. I read it in a few short days, which is impressive because it's actually quite long. It's wonderful! I love the mesh of fiction and non-fiction between the two different asylums, and all the images and drawings are beautiful and delightfully morbid! I also really enjoyed the addition of The Drug Diaries and The Cutting Diaries. I love how raw and real Emilie Autumn makes it. I definitely recommend that you read this if you...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Ariel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

First of all, I love Emilie Autumn and second, I can relate to this book in small doses. The concept of Emilie's plot line, of her going insane and creating this new persona in order to save herself then ironically getting trapped by it, amazes me on every level. From the edginess in her tone to the magnificent descriptions that almost seem real pull the reader in, creating this whole new world to explore, trapped by more than just a difficult societal system. when Emilie sets off into the other...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Sally Berrow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: goth, horror, historical, musicians-do-books, steampunk, autobiography, controversial, mystery

Frank, insightful, oftentimes shocking, and ultimately incredibly powerful, nothing could have prepared me for how incredibly thought-provoking and moving this book truly is. Adaptions from Emilie Autumn's diary entries during her time spent in a (supposedly acclaimed) Los Angeles mental institution are punctuated by -- and seamlessly interwoven into -- fictional 'flashbacks' to an insane asylum in 19th century Victorian London. The author writes beautifully, honestly, and with the same compelli...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Amanda (Pearl the Book Girl) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: suicide-self-harm, memoir-biography, dark, bir-2011, abuse, favorites, historical, fantasy, horror, cover-love, has-art-in-it, own

I don't think I've ever read anything like The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. It is amazing, horrifying, and both a work of magical fiction and brutal honesty. I felt like for the first time I had found someone who could understand how I feel. I identified on so many levels with this book, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. I appreciate Emilie as an artist so much more now because I realize just how much of herself she puts into everything she does. This is one of a kind, and is we...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Ashlie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I began to read this book a little over a year ago and having been a huge fan of Emilie I was thrilled to finally get my hands on this $100 book. It took me about a year to read. Let me first start out by saying I was, like both Emilie and Emily going through a large amount ( and still am) of depression and, like both of the Emilies found it unbearable, and excruciatingly difficult to even brush my teeth in the morning much less get dressed and get ready for school and all I ever wanted was to s...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Mariana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

If you do not aprecciate the art of thinking, philosophy and don't even consider that you might just see things trough other eyes do not read this. You will probably think it's all fake and all of us plague rats would certainly not be pleased.
Otherwise if you are oppen enought not to judge everything by what we call "science" and medical conditions then be welcomed to Emilie Autumn's world. Mervelously shocking <3

I have no words to this piece of art. It is something to contemplate, that gives...more

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Sep 10, 2010 Carly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Emilie Autumn, anyone who has ever experienced/cared about bipolar disorder.

Shelves: books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm a huge fan of autobiographies, as well as also being an even greater fan of Emilie Autumn for quite a few years now. I'd like to be able to review this with those that are not already fans in mind, but it is quite likely that this review will be rather strongly leaning towards my own fanaticism - so take what I say with a few grains of salt.

Writing an autobiography is usually a personal challenge in itself, but for someone to create such an experimental and extraordinary combination of autob...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Blackfeathers rated it 5 of 5 stars

this is considered emilie autumn's first officially published book. accordingly, "the asylum for wayward victorian girls" is a psychological thriller that blends together an imaginative tale of a girl facing particularly unfortunate circumstances revolving around the brutalities of a fictional "modern" victorian society with an autobiographical account of the author's contemporary struggles around the time of her treatment in a mental institute. it also contains a few other do-it-yourself tidbit...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Maureen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of my absolute favorites. It is amazingly written and has beautiful artwork in it as well. While partially a true story of Emilie's stay in a mental institution, there is a fictional story within about Emily (with a "y") who is staying in a Victorian Asylum. Having some of Emilie Autumn's actual handwriting in the book made it much more personal and made it seem much more like a journal than just any ordinary book. This is a must read for any "muffin" (Emilie Autumn fan).

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May 15, 2013 Maddi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wish I could read this in full. I keep hearing how beautiful and amazing it is, I've seen pictures on Emilie's website, and one of my friends has a copy she won't lend out (and for good reason, too), but I have no way of getting one for myself. Still, although I haven't read it, the book speaks volumes. Emilie puts her heart in all she does so I know that if and when I finally get to read it, it will be well worth the wait.

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Apr 16, 2012 Christine Starkey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Half autobiography, half psychological thriller. An amazing book when you take into account that Emilie did everything herself: the writing, photography, design, artwork... She put her heart into this work, and I admire her for taking years to put out such a beautiful product that is both raw, rough, and hauntingly honest. I cannot say that I am a big fan of her work, but do believe she is a very multi-talented lady.

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Oct 21, 2010 Teresa Corl rated it 5 of 5 stars

I pre-ordered this book months ago and finally got it last night... I am EXHAUSTED as I could not put this book down! The way it is put together with Emilie's artwork and music... it's just amazing. It only cements my love for Emilie... Now I shall continue my boo-hooing about her canceled concert on October 30th! I can't remember being this excited about an artist in a very long time. Highly recommended reading.

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Jul 16, 2012 Saki rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is beyond magnificent.

I've been such an EA fan for years now and finally got my paws on not 1 but 3 copies of this book (my family and bf also ordered me a copy, without knowing it, when I bought mine lol). It is a really good insight into mental illness while still managing to dance into fantasy as well. Beautifully written, I couldn't put it down.

I can't wait for the stage show.

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Jan 09, 2013 Robert Bowen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was such a dark and hard read, but it was so well worth it. Not that it doesn't have its moments of triumph and humor, but the brutal truth of the situation does stand out more than some of the lighter moments in the book. Beautifully heartbreaking, and perhaps more poignant and potent than I was prepared for. But it did take my breath away, and for that, it gets all five!

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May 30, 2011 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I skimmed this book once through when I first bought it last year. I'm now reading it again, word for word and it's a beautiful book. Taken from Emilie Autumn's own diary entries and mixed in with a bit of fiction that is hard to distinguish from her reality, The Asylum is an experience unto itself. Full colour pages, each page is something to behold. Worth the money!!

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About Emilie Autumn

Emilie Autumn Liddell (born in Los Angeles, on September 22, 1979), better known by her stage name Emilie Autumn, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and violinist. Autumn draws influence for her music—the style of which she has alternatively labeled as "Victoriandustrial" and glam rock—from plays, novels, and history, particularly the Victorian era. Performing with her all-female backing band...more

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Quotes from The Asylum for Wayward...

“It gives me strength to have somebody to fight for; I can never fight for myself, but, for others, I can kill.” — 1,229 people liked it

“You," he said, "are a terribly real thing in a terribly false world, and that, I believe, is why you are in so much pain.” — 494 people liked it

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