What do you think?
Rate this book
The Girl Puzzle: A Story of Nellie Bly
Her published story is well known. But did she tell the whole truth about her ten days in the madhouse?
Down to her last dime and offered the chance of a job of a lifetime at The New York World, twenty-three-year old Elizabeth Cochrane agrees to get herself admitted to Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum and report on conditions from the inside. But what happened to her poor friend, Tilly Mayard? Was there more to her high praise of Dr Frank Ingram than everyone knew?
Thirty years later, Elizabeth, known as Nellie Bly, is no longer a celebrated trailblazer and the toast of Newspaper Row. Instead, she lives in a suite in the Hotel McAlpin, writes a column for The New York Journal and runs an informal adoption agency for the city’s orphans.
Beatrice Alexander is her secretary, fascinated by Miss Bly and her causes and crusades. Asked to type up a manuscript revisiting her employer’s experiences in the asylum in 1887, Beatrice believes she’s been given the key to understanding one of the most innovative and daring figures of the age.
Down to her last dime and offered the chance of a job of a lifetime at The New York World, twenty-three-year old Elizabeth Cochrane agrees to get herself admitted to Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum and report on conditions from the inside. But what happened to her poor friend, Tilly Mayard? Was there more to her high praise of Dr Frank Ingram than everyone knew?
Thirty years later, Elizabeth, known as Nellie Bly, is no longer a celebrated trailblazer and the toast of Newspaper Row. Instead, she lives in a suite in the Hotel McAlpin, writes a column for The New York Journal and runs an informal adoption agency for the city’s orphans.
Beatrice Alexander is her secretary, fascinated by Miss Bly and her causes and crusades. Asked to type up a manuscript revisiting her employer’s experiences in the asylum in 1887, Beatrice believes she’s been given the key to understanding one of the most innovative and daring figures of the age.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2019
1903 people are currently reading
2196 people want to read
About the author
Kate Braithwaite
7 books137 followersKate Braithwaite is the author of four historical novels based on true but overlooked events. “Charlatan” tells the story of Madame de Montespan and the Affair of the Poisons in 17th Century Paris. “The Plot” features Titus Oates’ Popish Plot, a scandal that earns him a place as one of Britain’s top 10 villains. “The Puzzle of Nellie Bly” explores the exploits of a ground-breaking female journalist going undercover in a 19th Century New York lunatic asylum. “The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph” reveals a shocking rupture between two very different sisters in late 18th century Virginia.
Originally from Scotland, Kate studied English at Leeds University and has subsequently lived in Canada and the US. She is the author of Sis-Stories, a Substack publication all about sisters in history and fiction, and an editor for the Historical Novel Society. Kate and her family live in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Originally from Scotland, Kate studied English at Leeds University and has subsequently lived in Canada and the US. She is the author of Sis-Stories, a Substack publication all about sisters in history and fiction, and an editor for the Historical Novel Society. Kate and her family live in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
September 21, 2020
This book is very interesting and in many times shocking. A 1887 story heavily based on contemporary accounts about Nellie Bly’s time in the asylum.
To get a story our main character Nelly spends 10 days of psychological and physical abuse in an asylum. The story gives a brief but thorough insight into the way mental illness was treated in the 1890s time frame.
She’s an absolutely strong character who knows how to fight for what she wants — and goes and gets it.
A very good read.
To get a story our main character Nelly spends 10 days of psychological and physical abuse in an asylum. The story gives a brief but thorough insight into the way mental illness was treated in the 1890s time frame.
She’s an absolutely strong character who knows how to fight for what she wants — and goes and gets it.
A very good read.
April 11, 2019
This is an extraordinary book about a remarkable woman. I was fully immersed in the life of Elizabeth/Nellie and was inspired to find out more about the real person. The Girl Puzzle is obviously very well researched and due to the skill of the writing the historical facts blend effortlessly into the story. It’s written in two viewpoints - the younger Elizabeth and her secretary Beatrice thirty years later. Both characters are convincing and engaging. The dual timeline was admirably handled and I enjoyed learning about the older Miss Bly through Beatrice’s observations. I’d recommend this book to readers who are interested in women’s history or to anyone looking for a great story with a strong female lead.
May 3, 2019
While it seems like Nellie Bly is a hot subject these days, not all novels about her, or that were inspired by her amazing work are the same. This new biographical, historical, women's fiction novel proves that, as you'll see from my review on my blog here.
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2019/05/0...
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2019/05/0...
May 20, 2019
This book has received a Discovering Diamonds Review:
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"Sophisticated and accomplished story-telling"
Helen Hollick
founder #DDRevs
"Sophisticated and accomplished story-telling"
August 27, 2021
DNF
I became aware of Nelly Bly through another novel that I also didn’t love, The Address. I managed to at least finish that one, but the writing style in this case never pulled me in at all. Maybe someday I’ll find out more about Nelly, but apparently historical fiction isn’t the best way to present her story.
I became aware of Nelly Bly through another novel that I also didn’t love, The Address. I managed to at least finish that one, but the writing style in this case never pulled me in at all. Maybe someday I’ll find out more about Nelly, but apparently historical fiction isn’t the best way to present her story.
February 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and found it engaging and interesting. The characters are written really well and you become immersed in the story. I have now read two books by this author and intend to buy more.
May 5, 2019
After having thoroughly enjoyed Kate Braithwaite's The Road to Newgate I was super excited to read her latest novel, The Girl Puzzle: A Story of Nellie Bly. And what a story it is!
In The Girl Puzzle we get two storylines - 1919 & 1887. In the 1887 timeline we have a young Nellie Bly just moved to New York to find work as a journalist, but it's a near impossible task at that time. She wants to do an expose on the conditions of mental hospitals, so she pretends to be mentally ill and gets taken to New York's Blackwell Island Asylum. While there she gets to know the patients and reports on their care and the conditions of the hospital. In the 1920 timeline Nellie works at an adoption agency with a mission of helping the city's orphans, and her story is told by her secretary Beatriz.
Nellie is a big inspiration for me. The work she did to bring light to the many injustices in the world and how she stood up for women, children, and the poor makes her a hero in my book. She didn't take no for an answer and we as women owe a lot to her for where we are now.
"You don't pull punch, Miss Bly. Are you what we might call a man-hater?"
"Not at all," she said, straightening her chair and smile. "I don't like to see unfairness though. And I don't think all men are better than women, just by virtue of them being men."
The Girl Puzzle was a fascinating look at Nellie Bly's life and one of the most important stories of her career. Kate's writing is fantastic - she really knows how to keep the plot moving and bring the story to life. She definitely did Nellie proud! Highly recommended!
In The Girl Puzzle we get two storylines - 1919 & 1887. In the 1887 timeline we have a young Nellie Bly just moved to New York to find work as a journalist, but it's a near impossible task at that time. She wants to do an expose on the conditions of mental hospitals, so she pretends to be mentally ill and gets taken to New York's Blackwell Island Asylum. While there she gets to know the patients and reports on their care and the conditions of the hospital. In the 1920 timeline Nellie works at an adoption agency with a mission of helping the city's orphans, and her story is told by her secretary Beatriz.
Nellie is a big inspiration for me. The work she did to bring light to the many injustices in the world and how she stood up for women, children, and the poor makes her a hero in my book. She didn't take no for an answer and we as women owe a lot to her for where we are now.
"You don't pull punch, Miss Bly. Are you what we might call a man-hater?"
"Not at all," she said, straightening her chair and smile. "I don't like to see unfairness though. And I don't think all men are better than women, just by virtue of them being men."
The Girl Puzzle was a fascinating look at Nellie Bly's life and one of the most important stories of her career. Kate's writing is fantastic - she really knows how to keep the plot moving and bring the story to life. She definitely did Nellie proud! Highly recommended!
March 17, 2020
Nellie Bly was an extraordinary woman, one of those headlong Americans the nation seemed to crank out in the years after the Civil War, as if half the characters from Mark Twain's books were magically brought to life. After a tough childhood full of dangers and upheavals, she carved out a space for herself in a reluctant newspaper industry as a muckraking reporter, in an age when such a career was unthinkable for a woman.
This novel focuses on one of her earliest exploits, when she got herself committed to a New York State asylum in order to expose conditions there. The tale of this project has enough inherent interest to compensate for some limitations on the author's skill. It is unfolded through a dual timeline (a technique sadly overused in historical fiction today), snippets of the asylum tale alternating with a view of Bly late in her life as narrated by one of her employees. For me, the result was a sense of skimming through the shallows of Bly's mind and heart, combined with frustration that whole fascinating chunks of her life were left out or barely mentioned.
Bly is a fruitful subject for either biography or novelization; this book left me wanting more.
This novel focuses on one of her earliest exploits, when she got herself committed to a New York State asylum in order to expose conditions there. The tale of this project has enough inherent interest to compensate for some limitations on the author's skill. It is unfolded through a dual timeline (a technique sadly overused in historical fiction today), snippets of the asylum tale alternating with a view of Bly late in her life as narrated by one of her employees. For me, the result was a sense of skimming through the shallows of Bly's mind and heart, combined with frustration that whole fascinating chunks of her life were left out or barely mentioned.
Bly is a fruitful subject for either biography or novelization; this book left me wanting more.
August 2, 2020
The puzzle that was Nellie Bly
Loved the story. The way the two timelines were handled was masterful. The entire story gave me a much greater appreciation for Nellie Bly herself than just reading a paragraph in a Wikipedia or encyclopedia article. The author drew a picture of a real live
woman with passion and quirks just like the rest of humanity.
Loved the story. The way the two timelines were handled was masterful. The entire story gave me a much greater appreciation for Nellie Bly herself than just reading a paragraph in a Wikipedia or encyclopedia article. The author drew a picture of a real live
woman with passion and quirks just like the rest of humanity.
February 7, 2021
This novel is masterfully done in its handling of making historical fiction out of real life people and events. It is an intriguing glimpse into the life of Nellie Bly, "girl reporter", a historical figure whose life deserves to be highlighted in this way. Along with the storyline, the writing style and level of craft of this author are a treat. I highly recommend this one and really look forward to Kate Braithwaite's next one!
July 1, 2019
Just read the original, Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly.
Received a kindle alert about this book stating that it offered new insight. But it really did not add many details. It was just a rehash of Nellie’s work.
And scroll down to the other reason I was disappointed. I’m adding some space as it is a slight spoiler.
So, this book is written from the perspective of Beatrice, who was supposedly Nellies private secretary. That’s the ruse that she knew more info. But it isn’t until the epilogue that you find out that she’s a made up character used asa way to propel the plot. As Beatrice gave a supposed running psychological insight into Nellies emotions and motives, this was unforgivable.
Received a kindle alert about this book stating that it offered new insight. But it really did not add many details. It was just a rehash of Nellie’s work.
And scroll down to the other reason I was disappointed. I’m adding some space as it is a slight spoiler.
So, this book is written from the perspective of Beatrice, who was supposedly Nellies private secretary. That’s the ruse that she knew more info. But it isn’t until the epilogue that you find out that she’s a made up character used asa way to propel the plot. As Beatrice gave a supposed running psychological insight into Nellies emotions and motives, this was unforgivable.
Read
August 9, 2019Nellie Bly is in some respects a household name, yet the passage of time has erased many of her accomplishments from popular memory. One of the first well-known female journalists, she wrote for Joseph Pulitzer’s acclaimed paper The World, traveled around the world in less than eighty days, married a millionaire, and pursued a celebrated career at a time when the idea of women with professions was still new.
But her first journalistic assignment—the one that landed her a job with The World when she was still Elizabeth Cochrane, a twenty-something from Pittsburgh trying to make her living in the big city—was quite different. As Kate Braithwaite details in The Girl Puzzle, at Pulitzer’s suggestion, Elizabeth had herself declared insane and sent off to Blackwell’s Island, the location of one of New York’s most notorious lunatic asylums, with the intention of reporting on life from the inside.
Braithwaite’s dramatic and compelling novel opens with the middle-aged Nellie Bly revealing her story to a young typist. We see Elizabeth bursting into Pulitzer’s office, demanding a job and receiving her assignment to infiltrate Blackwell’s Island. There, shut in with no guarantee of release, she uncovers conditions at times medieval, at times punitive, at times simply alarming. Her own forthright character and instinct to confront injustice act against her, confirming the nurses’ and doctors’ views that she is not mentally stable. One of the doctors demonstrates a certain kindness toward the afflicted, but most of his colleagues cannot manage even that.
Some of Elizabeth’s fellow patients are—or become—unbalanced, but others have been sent to the asylum because they are poor, foreign, short-tempered, demanding, or simply inconvenient for their families or for society. As days turn to weeks, and no one arrives from The World, Elizabeth has to face the possibility that she may never leave the asylum.
Of course, we know she does. But it’s to the credit of this well-written, meticulously researched, and beautifully realized novel that we still remain on the edge of our seats, desperate to learn what will happen next.
Interview with the author at New Books in Historical Fiction.
But her first journalistic assignment—the one that landed her a job with The World when she was still Elizabeth Cochrane, a twenty-something from Pittsburgh trying to make her living in the big city—was quite different. As Kate Braithwaite details in The Girl Puzzle, at Pulitzer’s suggestion, Elizabeth had herself declared insane and sent off to Blackwell’s Island, the location of one of New York’s most notorious lunatic asylums, with the intention of reporting on life from the inside.
Braithwaite’s dramatic and compelling novel opens with the middle-aged Nellie Bly revealing her story to a young typist. We see Elizabeth bursting into Pulitzer’s office, demanding a job and receiving her assignment to infiltrate Blackwell’s Island. There, shut in with no guarantee of release, she uncovers conditions at times medieval, at times punitive, at times simply alarming. Her own forthright character and instinct to confront injustice act against her, confirming the nurses’ and doctors’ views that she is not mentally stable. One of the doctors demonstrates a certain kindness toward the afflicted, but most of his colleagues cannot manage even that.
Some of Elizabeth’s fellow patients are—or become—unbalanced, but others have been sent to the asylum because they are poor, foreign, short-tempered, demanding, or simply inconvenient for their families or for society. As days turn to weeks, and no one arrives from The World, Elizabeth has to face the possibility that she may never leave the asylum.
Of course, we know she does. But it’s to the credit of this well-written, meticulously researched, and beautifully realized novel that we still remain on the edge of our seats, desperate to learn what will happen next.
Interview with the author at New Books in Historical Fiction.
May 13, 2019
I enjoyed Kate Braithwaite's two previous novels, and so I was looking forward to reading her latest. I was not disappointed.
I hadn't heard of Nellie Bly, but this fictionalised account of her time as an undercover reporter in a New York insane asylum for women in 1887 really brings her alive. I'm not sure I would have liked her as a person - opinionated, abrasive, impatient - but Kate Braithwaite draws her character very well.
The story is told through a third-person memoir that Bly asks her secretary, Beatrice, to type up many years after the original events. We see Bly not only through the memoir, but also through Beatrice's eyes.
Kate Braithwaite's description of the asylum and the practices that went on there is chilling and realistic. Her depiction of late 19th century New York is also convincing and well researched.
I can highly recommend this book and look forward to the next one!
I hadn't heard of Nellie Bly, but this fictionalised account of her time as an undercover reporter in a New York insane asylum for women in 1887 really brings her alive. I'm not sure I would have liked her as a person - opinionated, abrasive, impatient - but Kate Braithwaite draws her character very well.
The story is told through a third-person memoir that Bly asks her secretary, Beatrice, to type up many years after the original events. We see Bly not only through the memoir, but also through Beatrice's eyes.
Kate Braithwaite's description of the asylum and the practices that went on there is chilling and realistic. Her depiction of late 19th century New York is also convincing and well researched.
I can highly recommend this book and look forward to the next one!
October 12, 2020
Fabulous and fascinating
A beautifully depicted account of the infamous Nellie Bly and her time in Blackwell Island's Asylum. Braithwaite writes with elegance and conviction, setting the scene of the era effortlessly. The author is almost as courageous as her MC... to even attempt such a novel is no mean feat, but she pulls it off admirably. The rave reviews are testament to her talent. In parts, of course, this novel is both depressing and disturbing, but it highlights the lengths an amazing, historical woman went to, and deserves all the accolades. For her part, the author is definitely one to watch!
A beautifully depicted account of the infamous Nellie Bly and her time in Blackwell Island's Asylum. Braithwaite writes with elegance and conviction, setting the scene of the era effortlessly. The author is almost as courageous as her MC... to even attempt such a novel is no mean feat, but she pulls it off admirably. The rave reviews are testament to her talent. In parts, of course, this novel is both depressing and disturbing, but it highlights the lengths an amazing, historical woman went to, and deserves all the accolades. For her part, the author is definitely one to watch!
May 16, 2020
Fascinating book! This novel recounts the story of Nellie Bly - an undercover reporter who feigned madness to get into the New York insane asylum in 1887. Being there nearly drove her insane!
I found the subject matter hugely interesting and I liked the way the story flitted between two characters - that of Nellie and of her secretary Beatrice.
Engrossing story!
I found the subject matter hugely interesting and I liked the way the story flitted between two characters - that of Nellie and of her secretary Beatrice.
Engrossing story!
December 22, 2019
A fascinating story of a brave woman, made even more compelling by some wonderful writing in this dual-timeline novel. Highly recommended.
June 26, 2019
A fascinating account of a woman whose story I had not heard.
Nellie Bly was a woman who dared to go that extra mile to prove herself in a man's world.
At least that's how it started.
Told alternating between the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the story begins with Nellie getting into the facility for mentally ill women on Blackwell Island by pretending to have lost her sanity.
This is so that she can write the inside story and prove that she should be treated on par with any male journalist
And get in she does, only to get far more than she bargained for when she encounters the squalid conditions and the scores of women who may or may not be in the facility by choice and who are treated not like patients but like prisoners.
Struggling to appear insane but finding it difficult to actually hold onto her sanity, Nellie observes everything so she can tell the outside world.
The story is actually related as it is being typed up years later by Beatrice, Nellie's secretary. Nellie is a crusader for all kinds of causes primarily against institutions that shut people in.
Her courageous decision to risk her sanity is praiseworthy and this is a very interesting account of her journey.
Nellie Bly was a woman who dared to go that extra mile to prove herself in a man's world.
At least that's how it started.
Told alternating between the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the story begins with Nellie getting into the facility for mentally ill women on Blackwell Island by pretending to have lost her sanity.
This is so that she can write the inside story and prove that she should be treated on par with any male journalist
And get in she does, only to get far more than she bargained for when she encounters the squalid conditions and the scores of women who may or may not be in the facility by choice and who are treated not like patients but like prisoners.
Struggling to appear insane but finding it difficult to actually hold onto her sanity, Nellie observes everything so she can tell the outside world.
The story is actually related as it is being typed up years later by Beatrice, Nellie's secretary. Nellie is a crusader for all kinds of causes primarily against institutions that shut people in.
Her courageous decision to risk her sanity is praiseworthy and this is a very interesting account of her journey.
May 9, 2019
I thought I knew a lot about Nellie Bly. I think that at one time I read a different book based on her life. So I was hesitant at first to read another one, but I'm so glad I took the leap. This account is so fully realized and fascinating that I came away understanding so much more about Elizabeth (her real name) than I'd ever expected. In addition to that, it's simply a great read.
The author tells the story from the point of view of one of Nellie's assistants later in her life. During that time, Nellie is writing her life story, so we get to relive her time in the asylum in great detail, as this was the seminal moment in terms of changing her public life. It made her famous, but the author manages to show us the personal side of Nellie in a way that revealed so much more. Like so many of us, Nellie was flawed, haunted by the past, and still searching for answers and purpose up until the very end.
Beatrice, the narrator, also comes alive in this book as another fully realized character, and with her, the reader also gets to experience a sweet love story. But nothing about this novel is simple. It's fast-paced and reads almost like a thriller, yet will leave you thinking about it for a long time. Very highly recommended.
The author tells the story from the point of view of one of Nellie's assistants later in her life. During that time, Nellie is writing her life story, so we get to relive her time in the asylum in great detail, as this was the seminal moment in terms of changing her public life. It made her famous, but the author manages to show us the personal side of Nellie in a way that revealed so much more. Like so many of us, Nellie was flawed, haunted by the past, and still searching for answers and purpose up until the very end.
Beatrice, the narrator, also comes alive in this book as another fully realized character, and with her, the reader also gets to experience a sweet love story. But nothing about this novel is simple. It's fast-paced and reads almost like a thriller, yet will leave you thinking about it for a long time. Very highly recommended.
Want to read
June 19, 2019Free on Kindle
September 18, 2019
I knew the name Nellie Bly and had a vague feeling that she was a woman of substance in the not too distant past but WOW - what a remarkable person! Although not an all encompassing biography, the Girl Puzzle was an excellent introduction to the more dramatic events of Nellie Bly’s life. Her grit, determination, courage, and spunk are all the more amazing when you consider the times she lived in and what she was up against. And as is true in a lot of historical fiction, several other people whose names are familiar make a cameo appearance, which is a bonus!
A quick and very enjoyable read! 4 1/2 stars!
A quick and very enjoyable read! 4 1/2 stars!
July 23, 2019
Knowing about Nellie Bly, but knowing very little of her stay at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum, this book grabbed my interest. Years ago my mother wrote in her autobiography (begun but not finished) that Miss Bly had been a dinner guest in her parents' home on Long Island, along with other notable people of that time, but she failed to give an exact date. It was, I know, when she was quite young. Alas, there is no mention of Miss Bly having dined there in this book, nor any reason that it should have been mentioned, even by herself in her autobiography. Just a dinner party at a popular actor's home. I read the few pages of my mother's autobiography soon after she died, so was never able to ask her what she thought about Nellie Bly, what she really knew about her.
This is a sharp depiction of the tenacity of Nellie Bly to become the journalist she so deeply desired to be. Really, volunteer to spend an unknown amount of time in an insane asylum as if you are one of the inmates? At a time when the insane were treated worse than murderers, the accommodations worse than in the prisons at that time? Patients who were maltreated, malnourished and tortured by the so-called nurses who were supposed to care for them? With doctors who knew so very little about the new study of mental illness, psychology itself being such a very young science? Yes, she did it and was finally released from this nightmare to become the journalist she wanted to be. And was able to do the charitable deeds she promised herself to do once she was released from that nightmare.
In addition, the author illustrates the human being that was underneath the public image of Nellie Bly. Contradictory, complex, conspiring, but deeply caring.
This is a sharp depiction of the tenacity of Nellie Bly to become the journalist she so deeply desired to be. Really, volunteer to spend an unknown amount of time in an insane asylum as if you are one of the inmates? At a time when the insane were treated worse than murderers, the accommodations worse than in the prisons at that time? Patients who were maltreated, malnourished and tortured by the so-called nurses who were supposed to care for them? With doctors who knew so very little about the new study of mental illness, psychology itself being such a very young science? Yes, she did it and was finally released from this nightmare to become the journalist she wanted to be. And was able to do the charitable deeds she promised herself to do once she was released from that nightmare.
In addition, the author illustrates the human being that was underneath the public image of Nellie Bly. Contradictory, complex, conspiring, but deeply caring.
March 14, 2020
I was delighted when a GR group chose this book for its March BOM. I had already purchased it on Amazon a while back, but hadn't had an opportunity to get to it. It's nice to be able to read more historical fiction with strong woman protagonists during Women's History Month.
I had actually read a novel focusing on patients at the asylum where journalist Nellie Bly did a ten day undercover investigation pretending to have amnesia in 1887. That book was A Different Kind Of Angel by Paulette Mahurin. It was the best historical fiction that I read in 2018.
One aspect of The Girl Puzzle that makes it dis-similar to A Different Kind of Angel is that it's dual period. There is a narrator in Braithwaite's book who was Nellie Bly's secretary toward the end of her life. This narrative displays the elderly Nellie Bly as having poor judgment. Nellie Bly's secretary admired her employer for her courage and past achievements, but she acknowledged that this feminist heroine had flaws. In the 1887 narrative, Nellie Bly herself experienced moments of angst in which she wondered if she had taken too great a risk when she accepted her undercover assignment.
I would consider Braithwaite's approach to her protagonist realistic. She shows us a Nellie Bly who is strong when the situation calls for it, but is also very human. That's why I recommend this novel by Braithwaite to readers who want believable female protagonists.
For the blog version see https://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2020...
I had actually read a novel focusing on patients at the asylum where journalist Nellie Bly did a ten day undercover investigation pretending to have amnesia in 1887. That book was A Different Kind Of Angel by Paulette Mahurin. It was the best historical fiction that I read in 2018.
One aspect of The Girl Puzzle that makes it dis-similar to A Different Kind of Angel is that it's dual period. There is a narrator in Braithwaite's book who was Nellie Bly's secretary toward the end of her life. This narrative displays the elderly Nellie Bly as having poor judgment. Nellie Bly's secretary admired her employer for her courage and past achievements, but she acknowledged that this feminist heroine had flaws. In the 1887 narrative, Nellie Bly herself experienced moments of angst in which she wondered if she had taken too great a risk when she accepted her undercover assignment.
I would consider Braithwaite's approach to her protagonist realistic. She shows us a Nellie Bly who is strong when the situation calls for it, but is also very human. That's why I recommend this novel by Braithwaite to readers who want believable female protagonists.
For the blog version see https://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2020...
November 27, 2019
Meh. Historical fiction used to be a favorite genre of mine. However, as I get older I have less patience (and perhaps remaining time!) to muddle through fake characters, romances and personal conversations superimposed over historical facts. Anyone interesting enough to be the topic of a book is also intriguing enough to stand on their own, without needing extra fluff and padding to make them more palatable. Fact is, indeed, stranger than fiction. Upon finishing, I researched "Nellie Bly's" biographical facts. They were far more compelling. All of the parts of this novel that felt contrived, were. I don't have that kind of time or emotion to waste. It'll take a stronger writer than Braithwaite for me to justify another historical fiction.
December 16, 2019
A simple, sweet, and very readable slightly-fictionalized telling of the story of Nellie Bly. I was familiar with Nellie Bly, though I’ve never read 10 Days in the Madhouse, so I enjoyed the telling, as well as the frame story. Not amazing in any way, but a nice little read for a holiday weekend.
August 24, 2020
A very compelling tale
What courage and drive would a sane woman have to spend 10 days in an asylum? Kate excelled at capturing the spirit of Nellie Bly in this story. Well-written and captivating, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and highly recommend!!
What courage and drive would a sane woman have to spend 10 days in an asylum? Kate excelled at capturing the spirit of Nellie Bly in this story. Well-written and captivating, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and highly recommend!!
April 25, 2021
I was expecting an in-detail biography of Nellie Bly (real name Elizabeth Cochrane) but this book is anything but. It tells only a short period of Nellie's life, mostly the time around her famous exploit of being admitted to asylum so she could report on conditions from the inside-out.
For the most part it reads like Nellie's own record of what she did and yet somehow, lacks any heart. This narrative is a tough sale, for we all know about these conditions if you've read or watched any Dickens story. Do we feel any more for Tiny Tim? Or the woman locked away in a madhouse because she was inconvenient to her family?
In a time of MeToo, you'd think we would be behind a heroine that took on the male establishment but Nellie's motivations are simplified. The changes that resulted by her stunt are downgraded by a doctor (who had no problem in the abuse that happened) who condemns her.
The decades that follow where she married someone much older, and the resulting loss of her husband's business, and her working during the war when she sympathized with the Austrians, is all swept under the carpet. Were these topics too big for the author to deal with?
This is a watered down story that is pleasant enough to read but I didn't feel anything about the characters. I left the book still not knowing who the complex person of Nellie Bly was. I wanted to get inside of Nellie's head - instead I'm given street directions through the tenements in a way that says "turn right at sixth street." She seems to almost pout when she is at the asylum and the deprivations she goes through is a ten-day wonder.
Worse, it inserts Beatrice (her assistant) and her saccharine romance into the story in a way that blurs the line between reality and fact, something I especially dislike in biographies.
If you are new to Nellie and your heart is easily touched, read it by all means. But I need more meat to be satisfied.
For the most part it reads like Nellie's own record of what she did and yet somehow, lacks any heart. This narrative is a tough sale, for we all know about these conditions if you've read or watched any Dickens story. Do we feel any more for Tiny Tim? Or the woman locked away in a madhouse because she was inconvenient to her family?
In a time of MeToo, you'd think we would be behind a heroine that took on the male establishment but Nellie's motivations are simplified. The changes that resulted by her stunt are downgraded by a doctor (who had no problem in the abuse that happened) who condemns her.
The decades that follow where she married someone much older, and the resulting loss of her husband's business, and her working during the war when she sympathized with the Austrians, is all swept under the carpet. Were these topics too big for the author to deal with?
This is a watered down story that is pleasant enough to read but I didn't feel anything about the characters. I left the book still not knowing who the complex person of Nellie Bly was. I wanted to get inside of Nellie's head - instead I'm given street directions through the tenements in a way that says "turn right at sixth street." She seems to almost pout when she is at the asylum and the deprivations she goes through is a ten-day wonder.
Worse, it inserts Beatrice (her assistant) and her saccharine romance into the story in a way that blurs the line between reality and fact, something I especially dislike in biographies.
If you are new to Nellie and your heart is easily touched, read it by all means. But I need more meat to be satisfied.
March 27, 2023
THE GIRL PUZZLE is a novel that tells the story of Nellie Bly and the ten days she spent in the Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum. It is an interesting narrative told from the point of view of her secretary Beatrice Alexander as she types a manuscript (not TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE) detailing Bly's experiences and interactions with other inmates. The conversations with various people… her fellow inmates, the doctors, editor, and others around her… are fictional.
I have often wanted to read the story of Nellie Bly for a number of reasons. I had an early ambition to be a journalist, and the history of insane asylums holds a certain fascination. Braithwaite has done a fair to middling job of portraying the horrors of this late 19th century mental health facility. There were deplorable conditions, unqualified nurses, and doctors who were clearly out of their depth.
Beatrice is typing the manuscript in 1921, some thirty-four years after the fact, as she is given the story piecemeal until 1922, when Nellie Bly is near death. Unlike a journalistic piece, the story she is typing is an anecdotal narrative. As she receives the portions of the story from Miss Bly, Beatrice also tells of Nellie's work with orphans in New York City, one Dorothy Harris in particular.
THE GIRL PUZZLE is a sad but entertaining work that lacks the feel of late 19th, early 20th century language. There are notes at the end for historical reference where Kate Braithwaite describes her sources.
I have often wanted to read the story of Nellie Bly for a number of reasons. I had an early ambition to be a journalist, and the history of insane asylums holds a certain fascination. Braithwaite has done a fair to middling job of portraying the horrors of this late 19th century mental health facility. There were deplorable conditions, unqualified nurses, and doctors who were clearly out of their depth.
Beatrice is typing the manuscript in 1921, some thirty-four years after the fact, as she is given the story piecemeal until 1922, when Nellie Bly is near death. Unlike a journalistic piece, the story she is typing is an anecdotal narrative. As she receives the portions of the story from Miss Bly, Beatrice also tells of Nellie's work with orphans in New York City, one Dorothy Harris in particular.
THE GIRL PUZZLE is a sad but entertaining work that lacks the feel of late 19th, early 20th century language. There are notes at the end for historical reference where Kate Braithwaite describes her sources.
June 23, 2019
Good Read
This book is a true story about Nellie Bly, a pioneer of women's investigative journalism. The book flips from Bly as a twenty something year old inmate in NYC's madhouse to her as a middle aged woman. She feigned madness to get into the madhouse for a story and being there nearly drove her insane. She was an activist for several causes. She came from a tormented childhood, and the relationships between her and her family were always strained. The author's writing mechanics were good except some grammatical so egregious that I could not read over them. The book was practically free from Bookbub.
This book is a true story about Nellie Bly, a pioneer of women's investigative journalism. The book flips from Bly as a twenty something year old inmate in NYC's madhouse to her as a middle aged woman. She feigned madness to get into the madhouse for a story and being there nearly drove her insane. She was an activist for several causes. She came from a tormented childhood, and the relationships between her and her family were always strained. The author's writing mechanics were good except some grammatical so egregious that I could not read over them. The book was practically free from Bookbub.
July 17, 2019
I have heard the name Nellie Bly but didn't know anything about her which is why I chose this book from Book Bubs. I found it fascinating. She was a woman way ahead of her time! The book tells the story of her effort to get assigned to an insane asylum in the 1880's as well as the story 40 years later (or so) from her secretary's point of view as she is working for Nellie. The chapters go back and forth so at first it was a bit confusing. Some of the sections about the insane asylum were hard to read, but I would recommend the book as interesting historical reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews