5 of 5 copies available
Oak Park, Illinois, 1875. Isabelle Larkin's future—like that of every young woman—hinges upon her choice of husband. She delights her mother by becoming engaged to Gregory Gallagher, who is charismatic, politically ambitious, and publicly devoted. But Isabelle's visions of a happy, profitable match come to a halt when she witnesses her fiancé commit a horrific crime—and no one believes her.
Gregory denies all, and Isabelle's mother insists she marry as planned rather than drag them into scandal. Fearing for her life, Isabelle can think of only one escape: she feigns a mental breakdown that renders her mute, and is brought to Bellevue sanitarium. There she finds a friend in fellow patient Mary Todd Lincoln, committed after her husband's assassination.
In this unlikely refuge, the women become allies, even as Isabelle maintains a veneer of madness for her own protection. But sooner or later, she must reclaim her voice. And if she uses it to expose the truth, Isabelle risks far more than she could ever imagine.
Weaving together a thread of finely tuned suspense with a fascinating setting and real-life figures, Sarah Barthel's debut is historical fiction at its most evocative and compelling.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
December 27, 2016 -
Formats
-
Kindle Book
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781496706096
- File size: 760 KB
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781496706096
- File size: 760 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
November 21, 2016
At the start of Barthel’s unconvincing first novel, set in 1875, 20-year-old Isabelle Larkin is celebrating her engagement in Oak Park, Ill., to aspiring politician Gregory Gallagher, a match that satisfies her ambitious widowed mother and her own hopes for political prominence. A few days after the engagement party, Isabelle happens to pass by a house, where through a window she spots Gregory committing a terrible crime. When those closest to her don’t believe her, Isabelle feigns a breakdown, which leads to her removal to the Bellevue Sanitarium in Batavia for treatment. There Isabelle strikes up a friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln, whose son Robert has committed her to the same facility. Mrs. Lincoln—who nursed Isabelle’s late father during the Civil War—believes her story; with support from her and an adoring young doctor, Isabelle tries to discover enough about Gregory’s background to make her claims convincing even as his actions threaten her. Marred by anachronisms and implausibilities, this historical delivers plenty of melodrama but only minimal suspense. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency.
-