Inspired by true events, For Their Own Good reveals the murky, often terrifying world of nineteenth century insane asylums. His compassion for the women under his care, and his shock at the perversity of their treatment propel him into actions no one could have predicted. nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Nineteenth century women are committed to an insane asylum for reasons that have nothing to do with their sanity: When New York physician, Adam Fletcher takes the position of medical doctor at the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane in 1857, he quickly realizes the asylum is not a place of healing. Readers of Paula Brackston, Katherine Howe and Deborah Harkness will enjoy this.Descrizione libro Taschenbuch.

When the three narratives unite, they illuminate an unspoken sisterhood which survives centuries. The plot drives itself, but the urge to jump ahead sometimes took me out of the story. Cliffhanger chapter endings can be frustrating when a reader is juggling three independent storylines, and they aren’t necessary here. This is not a novel easily picked up and put down, partly because the stories, particularly Altha’s, are compelling. All have an affinity to nature all must break free of their past and harness their power with strength drawn from their lineage. The author delves into male apprehension of female assertiveness and fear of those who are different. The need to escape the influence of cruel men is a strong theme, developed through incidents of sexual abuse, rape, and witch-hunting, the retaliatory actions unleashing quite violent supernatural occurrences. Historical records of the Weywards disappeared in 1619, only reappearing in 1925, but a powerful legacy survives nonetheless, handed down through the female line. Hart develops the women’s stories separately, occasionally revealing tenuous connections―a locket, a character trait, a gravestone. In 2019, Kate Ayres escapes an abusive relationship, moving north to a small cottage, central to the novel, which her great aunt left to her in her will. At Orton Hall in 1942, Violet Ayres spends her time outdoors befriending spiders and flies and climbing trees, rather than behaving like a lady―until one fateful day. In 1619, Altha Weyward, a healer like her mother, is tried as a witch.

Weyward is a compelling intergenerational novel of female empowerment and of how far modernity has strayed from our inherent connections to the natural world.

For Their Own Good by Bradette Michel