Madwoman

by Louisa Treger

Overview

**A HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY TIMES**

The extraordinary story of a woman's quest for the truth against all odds - and how her story changed the world

'A moving story' SUNDAY TIMES, Best historical fiction books of 2022
'A must read!' GILL PAUL
'Intriguing ... A fascinating read' HAZEL GAYNOR
'Remarkable' ESSIE FOX
'An astonishing tour de force' REBECCA MASCULL

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 that looms on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to document - and expose - the wretched conditions faced by the patients.

But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a harshness and 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 way ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.

'Madwoman is one of the best, a magnificent portrayal of Nelly Bly in all her journalistic integrity and daring' New York Journal of Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448218035
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	06/09/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	531 KB

About the Author

Louisa Treger, a classical violinist, studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher. She subsequently turned to literature, earning a Ph.D. in English at University College London, where she focused on early-twentieth-century women's writing and was awarded the West Scholarship and the Rosa Morison Scholarship 'for distinguished work in the study of English Language and Literature'. She is the author of the novels The Lodger and The Dragon Lady. She lives in London with her husband, children, and dog.
Louisa Treger is the acclaimed author of three novels, The Lodger (2014), The Dragon Lady (2019) and Madwoman (2022), which was a Book of the Month in the Independent and The Sunday Times. She has written for The Times, The Telegraph, Tatler, BBC History Magazine and English Heritage. Treger has a First Class degree and a PhD in English Literature from UCL, and currently lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2022

Treger’s middling latest (after The Dragon Lady) chronicles the early life and career of pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly. Outspoken tomboy Elizabeth Jane “Pink” Cochran is raised in rural Pennsylvania by parents who nurture her gift for storytelling. Her vivid imagination is diagnosed as hysteria by one doctor, and her father’s unexpected death leaves the family impoverished, dashing Pink’s hopes for higher education. After the family moves to Pittsburgh, Pink persuades the Pittsburgh Dispatch to hire her despite her gender and, under the Bly pen name, writes controversial exposés of slum and factory conditions. Relocating to New York City, she can’t find a paper that will hire a woman reporter until she makes an audacious proposal to Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World: she’ll feign madness and get herself committed to the mental hospital on Blackwell’s Island to investigate rumors of inhumane practices there. A deal is struck, and she soon finds the conditions are even more brutal than she imagined, leaving her wondering if she’ll leave the island with both mind and body intact. While Bly’s time at the madhouse is too well-documented (not least by Bly herself) to offer much in the way of surprise, Treger’s evocation of the reporter’s formative years is illuminating. It’s decently done, but the straightforward treatment doesn’t do enough to animate or reevaluate some rather well-known terrain. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

At a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low, Louisa Treger's Madwoman is a thoughtful reminder of how journalism can drive positive change … the perfect example of the power of an individual to question, and change, the status quo.” —Christian Science Monitor

“A compelling portrait of 19th-century journalist Nellie Bly … Recommended for fans of feminist historical fiction.” —Shelf Awareness

“Romantic tension with an asylum doctor and suspense as to Nellie's release combine with Treger's . . . use of the real-life Bly's famous 'stunt journalism' to highlight the horrific plight of endangered women-many perfectly sane but inconvenient wives, prostitutes, and immigrants were deemed insane-and the appalling state of nineteenth-century mental health care.” —Booklist

“I highly recommend this fictionalized account of Nellie Bly's early life and her fierce determination to go undercover at Blackwell's Asylum. A truly riveting read.” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

“Vivid and written with compassion, Treger illumines Bly's risky reporting that led to radical reform.” —Toronto Star

“Madwoman . . . weaves a fascinating true story of the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly . . . This story of a pioneer woman is superbly and engrossingly presented.” —Mystery & Suspense Magazine

“. . . a magnificent portrayal of Nelly Bly in all her journalistic integrity and daring.” —New York Journal of Books

“A spirited account of a flamboyant life.” —The Times (London) on THE DRAGON LADY

“An effective mix of romance, mystery, and history, The Dragon Lady is an accomplished narrative of world-changing geopolitics from a distant continent, nevertheless relevant to modern times. The story is both absorbing and enlightening, and its focus on one couple's spiraling crises will keep readers spellbound.” —Washington Independent Review on THE DRAGON LADY

From the Publisher