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Asylum
In 1896, Isobel McFadden boards the S.S. Farnassia to seek a bright future in America, far from the hands of her cruel father. But the nightmare that awaits Isobel when she arrives in West Virginia is almost more than the 16-year-old Scottish woman can bear.Sold into indentured servitude by her father, Isobel is appointed head matron of Helsley House Insane Asylum, where she is in charge of caring for 42 deranged women. As Isobel gets to know the women of Helsley House, she discovers a shocking these women are not imprisoned because they are insane; their captivity is a result of something much more insidious. …………………… The reform and suffragette movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought to light the stories of silenced and abandoned women – women who were tormented, abused, or locked away for speaking out for what they believed in, for fighting for their rights – for wanting better lives.
264 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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June 7, 2017Asylum is an exciting, gripping story, set in the late 1800s, of a young Scottish girl, whose mother died bringing her into the world. Her father who never showed her any love, blaming her, and trying to destroy her spirit with guilt, for the death of her mother. Instead, at 16, he sent her to America, with nothing, in fact all but sold her as an indentured servant to a man who owned and ran an insane asylum for women. There she finds women, most of whom, much like her, were inconveniences for men who had the means to send them away. This is a story of personal growth and strength, building relationships wherever they could be found, learning to love when she’d never experienced it for herself. This is a story of the triumph of the human spirit. There is a constant air of suspense and tension throughout the story that kept me engaged and anxious to know what was about to happen. I did not want to stop reading. There are twists and turns I did not anticipate. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
June 30, 2018
I'm going to be honest -- it wasn't a good book. The only thing that kept me reading was the fact that the topic was interesting, but regardless, it missed a lot of potential, and eventually, lost its main focus.
All the characters were very 2-Dimensional. There was nothing about majority of these characters that let me care or even remember who they were. Norna, for example, was such a wasted character. A character who seemed like such a strong, willful woman in the beginning of the book, turns out to be a flat secondary character that doesn't make any real significance by the end of the book and is only briefly mentioned by the narrator from time to time.
It's disappointing, but not as disappointing as the lack of development for the plot. Isobel has been in an insane asylum for the past 10 years, but she barely goes into detail about what goes on in Helsey House. Granted, some of the actions are a bit shocking, like Dr. Helsey's attitude towards women and his cowardly personality, but any "horrific" moments are not shared with us and the only explanation we have for that is that it is "too gruesome to share." Then what's the point of reading this?
For the women in the insane asylum, we have some of their background stories, but besides that, they are quickly forgotten the instant a new chapter starts. And even if these women weren't really insane when they came in, you'd think they'd end up insane by the isolation, lack of healthy environment, and "gruesome" experiments that Isobel likes to tell us about but never go into detail.
For the whole middle part of the book, it's literally just Isobel living there, learning about some of the people there, but not really doing much about the situation there besides writing poetry to record what was going on. Speaking of the poetry, I'm not the biggest fan of it, but I'm not going to complain if it's there. However, I am going to complain about it in this book in particular. The poems themselves are basically a short redundant version of what has happened in the book, making them completely pointless.
Granted, I would say there were a short handful of poems I actually enjoyed, but that was because they were written by another character called Katy, and Katy didn't waste my time telling me what's been going on, and then writing a poem to repeat everything she said. I could actually get to know Katy WITHOUT the narrator or her TELLING me what type of person Katy is or what she's going through.
By the time we get to part three of the book, the book switches from a story about women suffrage in the hands of a cruel man in an insane asylum to a story about Katy developing as a woman. Without spoiling the story of this character, because then it would spoil the rest of the story, the author tries to still focus on woman's rights, but the most we get into detail about that is that the characters are now participants of rallies or at least supporters. Again, wasted potential, though. You would think that someone like Isobel (who was been a victim of abuse and met victims of abuse) or Katy, who is becoming a strong, intelligent woman, would have at least one scene where they are speaking about issues centered around their gender, but nope! More telling, and no real visual scene for us to focus on.
The relationship between Isobel and Katie was really the only thing I really liked about this story, but besides that, everything else overshadows it. The author was writing about such an important moment in history, but did not do enough to expand on it. Overall, it was more disappointing than enjoyable.
All the characters were very 2-Dimensional. There was nothing about majority of these characters that let me care or even remember who they were. Norna, for example, was such a wasted character. A character who seemed like such a strong, willful woman in the beginning of the book, turns out to be a flat secondary character that doesn't make any real significance by the end of the book and is only briefly mentioned by the narrator from time to time.
It's disappointing, but not as disappointing as the lack of development for the plot. Isobel has been in an insane asylum for the past 10 years, but she barely goes into detail about what goes on in Helsey House. Granted, some of the actions are a bit shocking, like Dr. Helsey's attitude towards women and his cowardly personality, but any "horrific" moments are not shared with us and the only explanation we have for that is that it is "too gruesome to share." Then what's the point of reading this?
For the women in the insane asylum, we have some of their background stories, but besides that, they are quickly forgotten the instant a new chapter starts. And even if these women weren't really insane when they came in, you'd think they'd end up insane by the isolation, lack of healthy environment, and "gruesome" experiments that Isobel likes to tell us about but never go into detail.
For the whole middle part of the book, it's literally just Isobel living there, learning about some of the people there, but not really doing much about the situation there besides writing poetry to record what was going on. Speaking of the poetry, I'm not the biggest fan of it, but I'm not going to complain if it's there. However, I am going to complain about it in this book in particular. The poems themselves are basically a short redundant version of what has happened in the book, making them completely pointless.
Granted, I would say there were a short handful of poems I actually enjoyed, but that was because they were written by another character called Katy, and Katy didn't waste my time telling me what's been going on, and then writing a poem to repeat everything she said. I could actually get to know Katy WITHOUT the narrator or her TELLING me what type of person Katy is or what she's going through.
By the time we get to part three of the book, the book switches from a story about women suffrage in the hands of a cruel man in an insane asylum to a story about Katy developing as a woman. Without spoiling the story of this character, because then it would spoil the rest of the story, the author tries to still focus on woman's rights, but the most we get into detail about that is that the characters are now participants of rallies or at least supporters. Again, wasted potential, though. You would think that someone like Isobel (who was been a victim of abuse and met victims of abuse) or Katy, who is becoming a strong, intelligent woman, would have at least one scene where they are speaking about issues centered around their gender, but nope! More telling, and no real visual scene for us to focus on.
The relationship between Isobel and Katie was really the only thing I really liked about this story, but besides that, everything else overshadows it. The author was writing about such an important moment in history, but did not do enough to expand on it. Overall, it was more disappointing than enjoyable.
June 25, 2014
As an avid reader and continual student of history, this book humbled my knowledge of this era and sociological impacts of gender studies. Sherry Logsdon's extensive and impassioned research is apparent from an academia standpoint, yet the story is so enthralling, you don't realize you're getting an education while being entertained with the immense tapestry of the tale of Isobel, her charges and the Asylum. A "young-adult" novel that captured this over-40 male's attention from start to finish, then purchased additional copies for my own children and other non-young-adult friends. Don't let a genre or label turn you away from one of the best books ever written, and the best-ever book I've read on this subject. Sequels are a must Sherry Logsdon - please and thank you!
April 9, 2014
If you are a young adult you must read Asylum. It is filled with historical names and facts, combined with a creative storyline. Insane asylums, women's right, suffrage, slavery, immigrants. It covers it all.
April 8, 2018
This was an interesting book. A little bit like a history lesson regarding asylums. A very quick read as the chapters are relatively short.
September 11, 2018
Interesting topic but not well told.
The writing seems very simplistic and the poems popping into the protagonists head drove me crazy!
The writing seems very simplistic and the poems popping into the protagonists head drove me crazy!
December 17, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. As soon as I started, I couldn't put it down.
November 11, 2020
Great story about women suffering and what they had been put through if they spoke out their opinions. It has good twists and turns. Real good poetry inside.
March 31, 2022
While the book touched on important topics that everyone should be aware of, I felt it was a little elementary in its writing. It would be perfect categorized as YA.
April 15, 2022
Read for April 2022 BBC
I enjoyed. Fast easy read. Could have been for YA.
I enjoyed. Fast easy read. Could have been for YA.
April 11, 2014
I really enjoyed this book.
16-year-old Isobel is sent from her home in Scotland to work in a rural West Virginia asylum in the late 1800's. In effect, she is an indentured servant, although, even after her term has ended, she is without any means to escape her position as head mistress at a home for discarded upper class women.
This is an interesting work of historical fiction with a wonderful, sensible, warm-hearted heroine who reads and writes to keep herself grounded while surrounded by tragedy and injustice. Particularly, Isobel is attracted to the growing suffrage movement as she uncovers case after case of women being conveniently locked away due to their "inconvenient" desire for equal rights, or inheritance, or beauty, or (in one case) fertility.
This book sheds light on a dark period of recent history and the women who stood up and made sacrifices for rights that we take for granted today.
The story is compelling and carries the reader along on a journey riddled with various emotions including both anger and joy. The main message is that people of all races and gender and ethnicity deserve a voice and respect.
16-year-old Isobel is sent from her home in Scotland to work in a rural West Virginia asylum in the late 1800's. In effect, she is an indentured servant, although, even after her term has ended, she is without any means to escape her position as head mistress at a home for discarded upper class women.
This is an interesting work of historical fiction with a wonderful, sensible, warm-hearted heroine who reads and writes to keep herself grounded while surrounded by tragedy and injustice. Particularly, Isobel is attracted to the growing suffrage movement as she uncovers case after case of women being conveniently locked away due to their "inconvenient" desire for equal rights, or inheritance, or beauty, or (in one case) fertility.
This book sheds light on a dark period of recent history and the women who stood up and made sacrifices for rights that we take for granted today.
The story is compelling and carries the reader along on a journey riddled with various emotions including both anger and joy. The main message is that people of all races and gender and ethnicity deserve a voice and respect.
February 7, 2017
Sherry Logsdon’s book, Asylum, is a compelling and haunting work of historical fiction set at the turn of the century. Although events take place in the US, they could easily have happened in almost any country at this time.
The title and cover drew me to read. Having worked in mental health for many years, and having heard stories of women with no actual symptoms of mental illness being placed into the old asylums, I was pleased to find a novel highlighting the plight of these women.
Sherry Logsdon does a wonderful job of spotlighting just one of the many injustices done to women and the way that they were often treated at this time. Having said this, this is not a work of doom and gloom. Rather, it is an uplifting tale of the courage and fortitude shown by the main female character, and others, during harrowing circumstances.
Though a work of fiction, Asylum is based around actual events, and spans quarter of a century.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from author Sherry Logsdon.
Asylum will appeal to anyone who loves historical fiction, is interested in women’s issues or who just enjoys a well told story.
The title and cover drew me to read. Having worked in mental health for many years, and having heard stories of women with no actual symptoms of mental illness being placed into the old asylums, I was pleased to find a novel highlighting the plight of these women.
Sherry Logsdon does a wonderful job of spotlighting just one of the many injustices done to women and the way that they were often treated at this time. Having said this, this is not a work of doom and gloom. Rather, it is an uplifting tale of the courage and fortitude shown by the main female character, and others, during harrowing circumstances.
Though a work of fiction, Asylum is based around actual events, and spans quarter of a century.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from author Sherry Logsdon.
Asylum will appeal to anyone who loves historical fiction, is interested in women’s issues or who just enjoys a well told story.
Want to read
March 14, 2015What a storyline! I have yet to read this but from looking at what its about I definitely plan on it. This aims its clutches at my weakness for mental institutions, I can never get enough of them, or the different ways they are perceived, so this one has a definite spot on my to read list.
January 1, 2015
Loved it ! Can't wait for another one. The story flowed smoothly. The poems preceding the chapters gave the book an interesting twist. The ending was great!.
April 9, 2014
Great young adult novel. Easy to follow. Sucks you right in and makes you a part of the book. Based on factual history. Excellent ending. Waiting in anticipation for the following sequels.
April 10, 2014
This book takes you back in time just as if you were one of the characters and consumes you until the very last word! Hope to see more books from this author soon!!
August 6, 2014
Thank you so much for the copy! I will edit my review once I receive the copy and finish reading it!
October 8, 2015
Wow
Well written and interesting, this book drew this reader in and held her attention to the end. History, love (of several types), adventure and truth all in one book. Very nice.
Well written and interesting, this book drew this reader in and held her attention to the end. History, love (of several types), adventure and truth all in one book. Very nice.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews