Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.
1887. Investigative reporter Nellie Bly has faced poverty, a lack of education, and sexism as she worked to become a journalist. Even after years of hard work, the men in charge of the paper refuse to assign her anything but gossip columns and theater reviews. But Bly doesn't want to capture the he-said-she-said of society news-she's determined to find the story that will finally make everyone see her for the brilliant reporter she is.
When Bly hears a rumor about patients at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell Island facing abusive treatment, she decides to feign madness and become institutionalized for ten days. She will go where no sane woman has voluntarily gone before, and she will come back with a story like no other.
Deeply evocative and richly researched, Madwoman tells the true story of a strong and compelling historical figure and the institutions-from America's newsrooms to its mental hospitals-she fought to make better for women everywhere.
Synopsis
Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.
In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.
But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum's wretched conditions.
But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out?
An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.
Synopsis
A magnificent portrayal of Nelly Bly in all her journalistic integrity and daring." --New York Journal of Books
The perfect example of the power of an individual to question, and change, the status quo. --Christian Science Monitor
Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.
In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.
But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum's wretched conditions.
But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will - but will she ever get out?
An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.
"Treger provides a moving story, particularly powerful in its depiction of Bly's desperate efforts to retain her sanity in the midst of institutional madness.--SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction books of 2022 so far