Alice in Bed

by Judith Hooper

Arm yourself against my dawn, which may at any moment cast you and Harry into obscurity , Alice James writes her brother William in 1891. In Judith Hooper’s magnificent novel, zingers such as this fly back and forth between the endlessly articulate and letter-writing Jameses, all of whom are geniuses at gossiping.

And the James family did, in fact, know everyone intellectually important on both sides of the Atlantic, but by the time we meet her in 1889, Alice has been sidelined and is lying in bed in Leamington, England, after taking London by storm.

We don’t know what’s wrong with Alice. No one does, though her brothers have inventive theories, and the best of medical science offers no help. Her legs no longer support her. She cannot travel home and so is separated from her beloved Katherine. She also suffers fits each day at noon sending her into swooning dreams in which she not so much remembers her life as relives it.

So, with Alice in bed, we travel to London and Paris, where the James children spent part of their unusual childhood. We sit with her around the James family’s dinner table, as she – the youngest and the only girl – listens to the intellectual elite of Boston, missing nothing. We meet her mercurial father, given to visions of angels and firing each governess he hires for her in turn. The book is accompanied by Hooper’s Afterword,“What was Wrong with Alice?,” an analysis of the varied psychological ills of the James family and Alice’s own medical history, untangled, as far as possible, from Victorian medical concepts and beliefs.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, 19th Century, Historical, Novels, Feminism

392 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2015

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 For her first foray into fiction, non fiction writer Hooper has tackled the insular and well known James family. Narrated by Alice as she attempts to recover from her latest malady at a spa in England, she takes us back and forth into her life as the youngest and only daughter. Plagued most of her life by various ills, an intelligent woman with few outlets, her life is a matter of intellect, always yearning for the freedoms allowed her bothers. In the days before any effective medical treatments, rest cures, mesmerism and as a last resort, institutions were all that were offered. Tonics and supposed medicines contained poisons that taxed an already unhealthy disposition.

Many of the James letters from Henry and William are quoted, their love for their sister evident. Yet, they too suffered from undiagnosed illnesses, mental and physical, took to sanitariums and looked for answers in other ways. Yet, they became successful, even if plagued by demons.

Well written, introspective, a fascinating look at a family that still influence many today. All the famous people they met, their lives and philosophical debates, a book that will prove fascinating for those interested in this family. The author at the end attempts in todays better understood psychiatric diagnoses, to understand the many causes of this family's ills, this family, things that ran in the family bloodline.

I enjoyed this, thought it was a very in depth look with historical backing of a family I was curious about.

[B J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book delightful. An historical fiction of Alice James. I was totally unaware of this woman until reading this book and hope that I can find a copy of her diary that was published many years after her death.
This book showed to me the plight of women in the late 19th century, the life of privileged and a glimpse at so much more. The descriptive writing I found beautiful.
The James's family is displayed with all its worts and beauty. Inherited wealth allows them to live an extraordinary life with little thought to their good fortune. Alice, subject to mysterious illnesses from an early age finds her true self later in life. She becomes bedridden and begins to write her journals that reveals her life.
This is Judith Hooper's first work of fiction and I hope she writes more. It is difficult without reading Alices actual diary to know how much is Alice's and how much is Ms Hooper's.

[Martha Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novel treatment about Alice James and her eccentric family which included her brother the author Henry James. It is well written. Didn't have many complaints.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the diary of Alice James and correspondence between Alice and the rest of the James's family I found Judith Hooper's Alice In Bed to be an utterly fascinating and compelling novel.

We meet Alice, daughter of the famous author Henry James, in her late 30's during the latest bout of illness which has rendered her bedridden. Similar episodes of illness have plagued Alice since she was young and no one has been able to diagnose what is wrong with her. During this episode of incapacitation Alice reminisces about her life, friendships, family, and lovers, giving the reader a glimpse into the private lives of this often amusing, intelligent but ultimately tragic family.

I was particularly fascinated by Alice's relationships with her cousin Sara, and Katherine Loring with whom she formed intensely passionate affairs. The emotions and subsequent sexual encounters, particularly relating to the former friendship, were a revelation to Alice, but also confusing especially as the relationship was not on equal footing.

Alice comes across in Hooper's novel as a highly intelligent, quick witted, articulate young woman, who inside the family, is encouraged to participate in stimulating conversation and argument with her brothers and father on a multitude of topics. However outside of the family her spirited enthusiasm to engage fully in life's experiences is deemed unnatural, and inappropriate behaviour for a young lady.

There was so much that I enjoyed about the book; the prose was exquisite, and entirely in keeping with the period. My reading copy is full of highlighted text, sentences and paragraphs of beautifully written descriptions of the conversations and acerbic quips between the members of the family. I spent hours looking up words in a dictionary and although I do recognise that this may be a drawback for some readers, I found it enlightening.

Alice In Bed is an intelligent thought provoking, cleverly imagined life of Alice James and one which I recommend unreservedly to anyone interested in American literature, and the lives of privileged women living during this era. It would be an ideal choice for book reading groups as I'm sure it would generate a lot of debate and interesting discussion.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Alice In Bed in exchange for my unbiased, honest review.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although her brothers Henry and William are better known, Alice James was a fascinating person in her own right. In Alice in Bed author Judith Hooper makes her first foray into fiction by drawing extensively on her experience writing non-fiction. The result is a hybrid work that uses historical fact to inform the fictional accounts of the less covered sister of the James family. Hooper mixes actual correspondence between the family members and snippets of Alice's diary with her own speculations to form a fairly cohesive portrait of the intelligent and elusive Alice.

The Alice who narrates this book is a woman who is bound to her current situation because of her physical and mental ailments and 19th century societal conventions. It is obvious that Alice's intellect is easily on par with that of her brothers, but as the youngest child, a woman, and a person who suffers from debilitating illness the cards are really stacked against her. Alice is frustrated that modern medicine cannot find a cause or cure to her sickness. Worse, the stigma that surrounds a person with any kind of mental disorder makes it nearly impossible to provide any proper treatment. Despite being bedridden, Alice is still mentally sharp and able to hold her own against her brothers and anyone else she comes in contact with. This makes for a fascinating juxtaposition of physical and mental health.

Alice in Bed is first and foremost a character study. Hooper goes into great detail to provide context and understanding to the James family, treatment of mental health, and a woman's place in society of the time. Because the novel is more character driven that plot driven, the deliberate pace can sometimes become a bit tedious. Fortunately the characters are so deeply imagined that their development becomes the motivation to keep turning the pages. I was reminded of another book with an Alice as a main character, After Alice by Gregory Maguire, in which the main female character struggles to fit into the role that society tells her she should be in. Both novels serve as a reminder of how far women's rights have come in the last couple hundred years and how far we still have to go.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice James dotes on her brothers William and Henry and not just because of their literary talents. The James family headed by Henry James Senior who, since his Vastation, has imagined his own religion "so exclusive it has only one member." Alice's friend Sara (of the Emerald Nights) early on says, "Ye gods! The way your Father talks!" The head of the household writes books and letters Alice can't comprehend, but in Cambridge his lectures are popular.
Letters between family members are worth reading on their own, but it the voice of Alice, who has become an invalid, that makes this novel spectacular. The youngest child of parents whose "affectionate absorption in their five children was almost legendary," Alice struggles with her place in the world. "Why was I required to be interested in these domestic details, while Harry was assumed to have better things to do? ... He wore trousers and I a skirt." In the late 1800s these values were little questioned. Her father says to her, "Well, Alice, you know what Dr. Johnson said about women preaching. It is like a dog walking on its hind legs. It is not done well but you are surprised that it is done at all."
Dinner table discussions in the James household is almost a contact sport. Alice is not expected to contribute strong opinions, but when she forgets herself and blurts out her thoughts, her senses felt keenly alive as if she were a wild animal in the forest.
Quotable on every page, Alice James is a woman I'm glad to have gotten to know in this remarkable story.

[Micebyliz]

This book was a delightful read. I do confess that my head fell over a couple of times, but i think it was more that it was bedtime than boretime. It's very dry which is one of my favorite kinds of reading and listening, so you have to pay attention. If we tend to forget how women were not respected and how they had to wear corsets so they couldn't breathe (thus fainting) and how health care was non-existent--then this book is your next read.
i liked the short letters in between chapters. It's another reminder of how times have changed. People don't write letters, we send texts and emails. The composition of a letter took a lot of thought and care, and most importantly, the letters survive.
Whatever was wrong with Alice is still a mystery, although it is suggested that it was psychosomatic. I was thinking it was MS or something related. What a sad life!

[Penney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this historical novel about Alice James, the Dickinsonian younger sister of Henry and William. There are some wonderful, well-written passages, vivid characterization, well-researched historical detail. But the book reads like a novel by a nonfiction writer, which (it turns out) it is. Way too long (especially for a book about an invalid), bogs down in repetitive incidents, lacks plot structure and narrative arc. I finally gave up and skipped to the end, which was touching, but too little too late.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice in Bed is a beautifully written, somewhat meandering novel that puts the reader into the head of Alice James, through her diary entries, letters, and relationships with her family, friends and lovers. I confess that I knew virtually nothing about Alice James before reading this book, having some familiarity with her two famous brothers, author Henry James and psychologist and philosopher William James (and most of that sketchy knowledge of the James brothers came from various lit and psych classes many years ago). I was pulled to the book through the description and the thought of what life would be like for a woman in the late 1800s--already sidelined and compartmentalized due to gender--who is bedridden with a mysterious aliment (or ailments). Alice is quite a character right from the start, full of wit and intelligence and unfortunately also full of the family leanings toward depression, manic behavior, and various other physical and mental maladies. Alice chafes against the treatment of women and the role of dutiful daughter and caregiver she is placed in as much as the chafing of the corsets she is expected to wear. In addition to having little outlet beyond family dinners and conversations to use her mind, her lack of general health and vitality and her attraction to females rather than men all make life a challenge even before her illness and inability to walk begins. It's easy to admire her and to wonder what she could have done living in another time and place where she would have had more freedom, options, better health care, and a chance for more than a "female hysteria" diagnosis or the other strange conditions she was thought to have. Although we will never know exactly what led to Alice's illnesses, the author does provide an interesting afterword, "What was wrong with Alice James?" that discusses possible reasons for her health issues.

I did find Alice in Bed challenging to get through it at times. I think it was as much or more of a case of right book, not-quite-right-time for me than it is any criticism of the writing. I have had a couple of extremely busy weeks where reading could only happen in small, late evening bursts and this books needs and deserves more attention than I was giving it--it is not a quick and easy read. I struggled through the first two-thirds before getting some dedicated 'quiet time' this weekend to finish it up and found that when I could sit and really absorb what I was reading, my enjoyment of the story was tenfold. Author Hopper makes the period, setting, and characters come alive in such a way, that I had to frequently remind myself it was a novel. Sad in places, but sharply funny in others, Alice in Bed is a great pick if you like strong female characters, history, and intimate character studies, Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to savor the story.

You can see my review, plus a recipe for easy French Hot Chocolate inspired by the book on my Kahakai Kitchen blog post here: https://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2...

Note: A review copy of "Alice in Bed" was provided to me by the publisher and TLC Book Tours in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review and as always my thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Brianna the Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We don’t know what’s wrong with Alice – no one does, though her brothers have inventive theories; even the best of medical science offer no help. Her legs no longer support her. She cannot travel home and so is separated from her beloved Katherine. She also suffers fits each day at noon, sending her into swooning dreams in which she not so much remembers her life as relives it.”

In this book you travel from London to Paris and back to Boston, following the correspondence between all the James children and the ailments they all face. Written in an era where mental illnesses are treated with vacations to mountain resorts to soak in warm baths, or the dreaded alternative of a sanitarium you learn about the dark treatments used on patients like Alice who merely suffer from generalized anxiety.

As it turns out, the Jameses were a prominent Boston family in the 1890s with an eccentric father who had a tendency to shut himself up in his office to write about “Divine Nature” and other supernatural occurrences.

The story centers around a young woman by the name of Alice who suffers from ailments that no doctor of “modern” medicine can diagnose. It follows Alice’s suffering and the impact it has on her family, her friends and her dreams. As her suffering progresses to her legs, she finds herself bound to a chair and at the mercy of her nurse – her only consolation from her life of isolation is the occasional letter she receives from her brothers and cousins living their lives around the world. Despite her physical ailments, Alice is of sound mind, she’s sharp witted, highly independent in thought and very opinionated. With her charm and her sharp mind for politics she makes friends easily. She shocks high society with her feminist beliefs and your heart breaks for her as her body slowly fails her all due to mental health.

The James family was an actual wealthy Bostonian family, and Hooper did extensive research to find their letters and add them to her book. All the characters represented are real, and thoroughly researched through hand-written letters, diaries and books published about the James family. I enjoyed this book completely, and found Alice to be very relatable – her anxiety attacks were familiar, and in the end, Hooper goes over what potential ailments Alice suffered from, using modern psychiatric research and genealogical information on the other family members. Alice was written as a strong, intelligent woman attempting to break from the social circle her family forced her into as well as trying to find peace and solace within her own mind. 8/10

Originally posted at WPL: Cover to Cover

[Cindy Roesel · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALICE in BED (Counterpoint) by Judith Hooper takes readers to Boston and England in the mid-late 1800s – a challenging time, for intelligent women. Unfortunately they find themselves, as in the case of Alice James, repeatedly coming up against walls and closed doors in a society with no opportunity for women to further their education.

One of Alice’s brothers is William James, one of the greatest English novelists of the time; another is Henry James, who is inventing American psychology. The James family is famous in Boston and New York for its brilliance, eccentricity, and captivating salons. Alice James is no less remarkable than her brothers, but there’s a problem: she’s a woman. Her education has been infrequent, there are no colleges for women, and young ladies are expected to tend to the home. No one could be less suited to domestic tasks than the bright, quick-witted and defiantly original Alice. She’s determined to create her own destiny.


Falling mysteriously ill while crossing the Atlantic at age 38, Alice becomes confined to her bed in England. Thus begins her second life, when she recalls or redreams her life and struggles to make sense of it. How did her collapse begin? Was it “Father’s Ideas” or the night she drank absinthe and fell in love with a girl? Perhaps it was the time William went to the asylum or her childhood years in Paris, when Father fired each of her governesses in turn? Was it simply the oddness of “growing up James”?

ALICE in BED provides a fictional account of a woman who’s been overlooked in history, and certainly over-shadowed by her more famous brothers. While reading the novel, I was disappointed Alice was denied the freedom of education her brothers received. But I know of a family who recently provided Ivy League education for the sons and City University for their daughters even though, all had been accepted to Ivy League schools. Seriously, today in the 21st century. The James family letters, along with Alice’s diary blend a compelling narrative with one of literature’s most unusual characters.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Alice in Bed" is the story of Alice James, the sister of Henry and William James. Both of the brothers are well known for their contributions to literature and psychology. This book seeks to give a voice to Alice, whose own legacy has been largely overshadowed by her brothers. She is absolutely fascinating as well. I love historical fiction that gives voice to those who may be almost lost to history as Alice is. This is a fascinating portrait of a person that I was not at all familiar with before.

Alice's family is well known in the social circles of Boston. The author draws a lot on the personal letters and writing of the various characters in order to bring them to life. I especially like how the author was able to capture Alice's quick wit and sharpness throughout the book. The author captures her innermost thoughts. Alice suffers from many health issues throughout the book and it was so interesting to see how this affects the way that she sees the world. I really feel like I got to know her through this book. If you like vivid characters, Alice is for you!

The writing of the book was good. I loved that the book was told from Alice's perspective. She has a very unique way of seeing the world that made for an interesting read. The historical detail is used effectively to create a true feeling of time and place. The pace moves along rather nicely and kept me reading! I enjoyed getting to know Alice James through this book!

[Mary Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Alice in Bed, Hooper takes on a topic I was somewhat familiar with, the life of Henry James's sister Alice, from books like the Master, by Colm Toibin. Because The Master's subject, Henry James, was stolid and repressed, that is when he wasn't turning out literary masterpieces, I was thrilled to find Alice full of rebellious verve and sensuous delight. In fact I especially commend Hooper on her titillating and engrossing sex scenes. The reader likes Alice and roots for her when the odds of her historical and familial time and place are weighted heavily against her productivity and enjoyment of life. Even the stuffy, patrician New Englanders, usually not my favorite characters, emerge as intriguing and sometimes surprising individuals. And every page is alive with beautiful prose, descriptions of places I've known, in France and elsewhere, drawn in ways I never experienced them, making this book a page-turner that is both rich and rewarding. (from my Amazon review)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the experience of reading this book. And I'm not even sure why - it was a very slow read, and it had no plot. It was just a book that jumped around to share the life of a woman in the later 1800s. But the writing was excellent, so full of brilliant ideas and perfect metaphors and emotions and tenderness. And reading the life, the growing up, the evolution of a person is definitely as rewarding as a plot when Hooper is the author. The historical tie-ins were just icing for me (although the moment I realized it was THAT Henry James was pretty great). Definitely a book I'd love to reread in the future.

[Susan Neuwirth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars from me means the book is a "hit" and definitely worth reading. I went to a book talk given by the author and it was her wonderful sense of humor when describing Alice that made me want to read it. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I loved it and recommended it to tons of my friends who also loved it. You can't beat historical fiction written by someone who has a sense of humor. Next on my list (well, eventually, is The Master, a book written by C. Toibin about Alice's brother, Henry).

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written novel about diarist Alice James, sister of author Henry and philosopher William. Her eccentric Boston family of intellectuals is fodder for her memories. She sees and records the reality of life in this family in the 1800s. Alice spent the last years of her life in bed, but she wasn't boring. This is a great book for those of you who like 'biographies', eccentricity and life in the closed world of 1800 Boston intellectuals.

[Dianne Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice may have spent most of her last years in bed, but her mind went everywhere. I loved seeing the world of Henry James from the point of view of Alice, his sister. Fascinating, too, how many of her observations and insights made it into his books. Although it's a novel, it reads like a memoir--the best of both worlds.

[Peter Zingg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice in Bed is a fascinating portrayal of Boston in the 1800's and one of America's leading intellectual famiilies. It is also filled with wit and humor, as Alice observes the stuffy social rituals and pompous academics around her. Beautifully written, this book is one that I couldn't put down, right up to its extremely moving final chapters.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Hooper has brought to life a brilliant, complicated and modern woman trapped in the late 1800s. Somehow, the author has created such a complete portrait of Alice James it is hard to imagine it is a work of fiction rather than autobiography. The scholarship involved and the bright, fresh prose make the book a delight to read. I can't wait for Ms. Hooper's next book.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author Based this book on Alice James's diary and the letters between Alice and her brothers. I thought it was done so very well. Poor Alice was as intelligent as the rest of the family but, due to the times, was stifled and unable to do anything with her intellect outside the family. Very good book.

[Nancy Haffner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book illuminates the vivid character and brilliant mind of a neglected member of the famous James family. Interesting and true to the period.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is so clever and funny as is her subject matter, Alice James.

[Tony Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely writing and an utterly captivating story about Alice James, the youngest sister of Henry and William James. I am also getting a lot out of the bibliography.

[Rhodopa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific - made me read The Diary of Alice James. Judith Hooper makes her come to life!

[Marvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feminist novel about Alice James, younger sister to William & Henry James (& two other brothers), draws from and quotes regularly from the James’ correspondence and other private writings. Clearly, Alice was brilliant intellectually and was respected by her brothers; her wit & humor (the novel is written in her first-person voice) is what kept me reading even though the whole family’s obsessions with their physical, mental, & emotional health wore thin for me, as did all the name dropping. Maybe if I knew more about the various members of the Boston intelligentsia in the last half of the 19th century, I would have appreciated this last aspect more. (I would recognize names but know very little about them.) Although it had its moments, all in all, this was a slog for me.

[Jenine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I found this hard to put down. I particularly loved the end piece where the author speculates on Alice's physical and psychological states in modern terms.

I was never required to read any Henry James fiction in school. I did try Turn of the Screw recently (not finished) and I think I've picked up some of the novels. But I have the strong sense that this author is holding information over my head, taunting me with the sense that I will never get the joke.

[Linda Willimer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it

[Mary Chapel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Depressing. Did not finish.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting bit of historical fiction, attempting to illuminate Alice James, the sister of psychologist William James and novelist Henry James. Alice, despite being the youngest child, female, and chronically ill, was witty in her own right, and was made posthumously famous through the publishing of her diary.

Through the snippets of letters sent between her brothers, her parents, and herself, in addition to some excerpts from her diary, we are given the non-fiction parts of this story. The rest of it, told with Alice as narrator, is more speculation, since the real Alice James was chronically ill and unable to leave her bed - and, more significantly, was encouraged to be invisible, since this was the 19th century.

I think Judith Hooper did well in creating a realistic person out of the material she had to work with. I can easily imagine a brilliant woman, with two intelligent brothers, being frustrated at being forced in a box she didn't feel like she fit into. I can even understand the lesbian undertones, as Katherine Loring was the person closest to Alice when she died, and was presumably given Alice's diary and told, at Alice's request to publish it. Although I have to say it seems like lately historical fiction likes to make their strong female characters also lesbians... as though intelligence and homosexuality must occur together and you can't just be, I don't know... smart and asexual, or smart and free-spirited? I also felt like she captured the mindset of a chronically ill person in those days - before you had the technology to remain connected, the world must have gotten very small indeed if you were confined to your bed and talking to only those few people who came to visit.

Still, I didn't love this. Oh, I liked it, sure - the subject matter was interesting. The characters just didn't seem fully realized to me - even Alice felt a little like she was holding something back. The dialogue was occasionally witty but a lot of times felt dry, too. No one really sprung off the page to make the world seem that much more real.

History enthusiasts, especially early American ones, will likely love this. I appreciated the window into the past, but I don't feel like I really learned anything new. For that, I'll give it an average 3 stars.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a stimulating glimpse into the intellectual James family, and to a degree it was. Brothers William and Henry, the renowned psychiatrist and author, respectively, and their sister Alice are all extremely philosophic, but I didn’t get a sense for what drove them to pursue their ambitions. The first half of the novel seemed to be a combination of name-dropping Bostonian socialites and Alice’s foray into lesbian sensuality. The second half is her laid up with her various un-diagnosable maladies (melancholia, nerves, gout, et al). She does a lot of pondering as an invalid, whether it’s mentally debating women’s suffrage and their suppression, her past relationships (possibly a traumatic molestation?), or her unusual relationship with her brothers (incestual implications?). It really all boils down to the whole James lot being somewhat mentally imbalanced. While it was a decent portrayal of the limits of women during the latter half of the 19th century, it wasn’t necessarily an exciting narrative.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via TLC Book Tours.