The Blue Asylum

Written by Kathy Hepinstall

Narrated by Kate Forbes

A first-rate choice for fans of intelligent historical romances."-- Library Journal , starred review Amid the mayhem of the Civil War, Iris Dunleavy is put on trial by her husband, convicted of madness, and sent to Sanibel Asylum to be restored to a compliant Virginia plantation wife. But her husband is the true criminal; she is no lunatic, only guilty of disagreeing on notions of cruelty and property. On this remote Florida island, Iris meets a wonderful collection of inmates in various states of sanity, including Ambrose Weller, a Confederate soldier haunted by war, whose dark eyes beckon to her. Can love in such a place be real? Can they escape, and will the war have left any way-- any place-- for them to make a life together? "An absorbing story that explores both the rewards and perils of love, pride, and sanity."-- Publishers Weekly "With Blue Asylum , Hepinstall presents the reader with the rare and delicious quandary of whether to race through and find out what happens to her characters or to linger over her vivid, beautifully crafted sentences. For me, the only resolution was to read it twice." -- Hillary Jordan, author of Mudbound and When She Woke "A gripping story of love and madness in the midst of the Civil War-- I couldn' t put it down!"-- Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464048470

Reviews for The Blue Asylum

[countrylife_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked by Jeremy’s interview with the author in June’s State of the Thing. Then, like her chef catching fish for the lunatics’ dinners off the shore of this Florida island, Kathy Hepinstall finished reeling me in with her intriguing story in Blue Asylum. With the Civil War ongoing in the background of the story, Dr. Cowell plies the modern methods of dealing with the insane in his asylum catering to the well-to-do on Sanibel Island. Iris, the no-longer-naïve plantation wife, and Ambrose, the confederate soldier tortured by his war memories, find their own patch of sanity amidst the insanity of their treatments, the rules and the insane.”…the psychiatrist, had told him that the secret was not so much in forgetting as in distracting oneself. Think of the color blue, the doctor had suggested. Blue, nothing else. Blue ink spilling on a page. A blue sheet flapping on a clothesline. Blue of blueberries. Of water. Of a vase a feather a shell a morning glory a splash on the wing of a pileated woodpecker.”Ms. Hepinstall did well by her characters, each totally believable, warts and all. Her setting, inside the walls of the asylum, and outside on the island, was starkly and beautifully written. Her research did not overpower her story – her story that gripped me right through to the end.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you are looking for a book to read on the beach or just to while away a quiet afternoon, that will draw you in and beckon you back, this is it. Written with a prose that is at once simple and yet profound, as it deftly describes the atmosphere, in the luxury asylum for lunatics where Iris Dunleavy has been sent by her husband, this book won’t disappoint you. It is an illuminating vision of what life was like for a woman who opposed a husband in a position of authority, when she had none.Iris is a soft spoken, but impulsive and determined woman. During the time of the Civil War, the women of the south were really under the control of their husbands, as were the slaves on their plantations, and, they too, were expected to be obedient and subservient to them. It was often the treatment of headstrong women, to be sent to lunatic asylums by their more powerful, cruel and arrogant husbands, in order to prevent them from embarrassing them, or themselves, by engaging in activities they deemed not respectable or proper for a lady. Engaging in women’s right’s movements or the politics of the day, was frowned upon, and thought to be unladylike subjects unfit for the delicate mind and constitution of women. Defying one's husband, especially in a public situation, was an absolutely humiliating affront to him and was, generally, not tolerated.Immediately, on the first page, the readers are drawn into the story as they watch Iris as she stands on the deck of the ship taking her to the asylum in Virginia. Her back is straight and he demeanor calm. Her first thoughts are of the beauty of the location as she draws near. She sees a child and a black man, the son of the doctor who is the head of the asylum and the chef, fishing off the pier. She watches a young man, Ambrose, a former soldier suffering from the trauma of war, as he sits quietly before a checker board and appears quite normal. The relationship that blooms between Iris and Ambrose is a major theme.The book makes you wonder, who is mad, who is sane, who gets to decide? Is Dr. Cowell fit to be the judge or is he just as mad as his patients? What motivates him? Is it his ego or his desire to return these people to the outside world again? Are the people who are employed there just a little mad also, or are they the victims of the madness surrounding them? Are the patients mad or has the environment they have been subjected to created the mental illness? Are women weak and frail, unfit to participate in the activities of men? Did Iris behave like a woman who has lost her sanity? Is Iris Dunleavy mad or is she simply the victim of her husband's authority?This book is very intense. Near the end I was almost afraid to read on, fearful of the conclusion. I wondered if it would be happy, sad, gruesome? The author builds up the pressure until you feel afraid to turn the page for fear of what you will read. Although the ending is completely unexpected, I found it a little bit disappointing. On the whole, though, this is an imaginative, creative and original story. The chapters are short and easy to read. You won’t lose interest, because when you feel you might, the subject changes, just at the right time, and the story continues to hold your attention.Can mental illness be cured? Can mistakes be forgiven? Can love conquer all? On the very last page, there is a scene with a lady who dances with a husband who isn’t really there. She imagines him into life. Is this the message of the book? Is she better off than those who live in misery, missing the person that isn’t there, the appendage that isn’t there, yearning for something unattainable? How do we find happiness? Did the doctor’s own arrogance and narcissism cause the events that transpired? The story will make you wonder what madness is, and who, indeed, is mad? In the 1800’s, psychiatry was in its infancy, the methods were untried and untested, the treatments were sometimes barbaric. Have we made any progress today or have we merely given the diagnoses, treatments and medications a different name? This book definitely packs a wallop and it will remain with you for a long time.As an aside, if you enjoy this book, you might also want to see the film, "Iron Jawed Angels". It is a wonderful movie about the women who fought for the right to vote in the early 1900's, and the men who ruled over them, having them imprisoned indefinitely in asylums, as punishment for their outspoken behavior, believing this would cure them and return them to their conciliatory state of mind. Their pride was more important than their wives independence; even those that were well loved were mishandled in this way.

[sparemethecensor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting premise -- a Southern wife sent away to an asylum because what woman would disobey her husband for any reason other than insanity? Iris's arrival on Sanibel Island really had me hooked. Unfortunately the book seriously lost steam along the way. By the time they left the island, I was totally bored and had to push through it to finish the novel. Perhaps those who like romance novels more than I do will enjoy the latter part of the book, but I was far more interested in the antiquated views of psychiatry and feminism than in the romance.

[brokenteepee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blue Asylum tells the tale of a woman who dared to stand up to her husband and in doing so was deemed insane. It was a time in history when women were considered crazy when they did not conform to the norms of society; suffragettes were sent to insane asylums, women who contradicted men were sent to insane asylums. It was plain considered insane to contradict a man. In this tale Iris Dunleavy thinks she has found the perfect life by marrying her plantation owning husband despite the fact that she is against slavery. She believes his platitudes of how he treats his people like family and she knows she will be able to change him.We all know how much ANY woman can change a man now, don't we?Turns out Iris married a pig and as she tries to runaway with some of the slaves on the plantation she is caught, brought to try and found insane because she didn't obey her church attending, community leader husband. He sends her to an asylum on Sanibel Island in Florida to be "cured" of her ills. There she meets a very interesting mix of characters and the doctor running the place. But is he any less crazy than the inmates?This book is so evocative of its place and its place in time you can feel the desperation Iris suffers KNOWING she is not crazy as well as the warm breezes coming off the ocean. Ms. Hepinstall knows how to use words to create a mood, to create a feeling and to set a scene. From the details of Iris' dress to the descriptions of the shells that the doctor's son collects to keep himself occupied you can easily picture everything in your mind.The characters are colorful and well defined and despite only meeting some of them briefly they leave their mark on the story and stay with you as the main players act out their story. It was not a time kind to the insane. Iris of course, was not insane and her love interest Ambrose is at the asylum due to a horrifying incident he suffered during the Civil War. It was not a period known for dealing with PTSD....In spite of its topic this was a delightful book, full of hope but many things are left unanswered. I don't want to spoil plot points but I have several questions after finishing the book and that rankles. It did not seem a book that would lead to a sequel so this is a touch bothersome. But a minor bother in the overall scheme of life. It should not deter from reading a truly unique and very interesting book.

[carolee888 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

‘Blue Asylum’ by Kathy Hephinstall is a short tale of wrongful imprisonment in an insane asylum. It was easy to get into the story and didn’t bog down in places. Set during the Civil War on Sanibel Island, a place well known for excellent seashell hunting, the main character, Iris and the son of the superintendent, Wendell, do collect shells several on the beach. But this is not a light and sunny story, it is one of guilty secrets buried so deep that they disturbed the peace of mind of the possessors. Iris Dunleavy was shipped to the island along with a herd of cattle. Her husband had declared her insane and a Judge signed the papers to have her committed. Her trial had taken less than an hour. The story of what led up to her husband, Robert putting her away is slowly revealed through her memories. While she was at the Sanibel Asylum for Lunatics, she met and befriended Wendell who grew up without children his age and feeling like a prisoner on the island. Wendell’s father, Dr. Cowell had gained prestige by writing a paper on lunacy among women and the rising suffrage movement. Wendell’s mother, Mary, is in her own little world of laudanum, chocolate and remedies of the time. Iris falls for a wounded Confederate soldier, Ambrose, who suffers pain from his stump but even more pain from a terrible event in during his time as a soldier. The emotional pain from that even was so overwhelming that he was taught by Dr. Cowell to think of blue, blue sky, blue birds, blue anything so that he could distract himself from the horror. Slowly, we learn Ambrose’s terrible secret too. But Iris and Ambrose were not able to break through of their guilt, so strong was their feeling that they were responsible for awful things that happened. This story is part historical fiction, part mystery, part expose of slavery, the condition of women and of power of the strong over the helpless. I did get hooked early on this story and had trouble laying it down. I really like the beach setting and its contrast to many of the dark lives of the characters. The beach was the sole place that they could feel free away from the asylum. I think it brought up many psychological and social issues that could have been examined in a longer book. On the whole, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to any historical fiction fan or history fan. I received this book from the Amazon Vine Program and that in no way influenced my review.

[dragonflydee1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book--it was a great story--sad in parts with a glimmer of hope in the end. It's a quick read too!

[tfs93 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy Asylum history and stories of mental illness though out time. I really liked this book. The writing was wonderful and had a song like quality that moved the reading along quite quickly. Lydia was my favorite character. I enjoyed all the characters, even the doctor. They were all well written and had interesting stories. The character I didn't like was Wendell. He is a strange lad, and his story was not believable or interesting to me. I didn't mind there being a child character, or him being friends with those from the asylum. I just didn't like the way Wendell was written. Was he a child, or a man trapped in a child's body? I just didn't grasp him. I would like to read the sequel (HINT>>>>Ms. Hepinstall) to see what happens to Iris.....There is a sequel right?? Well I can hope can't I!

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What is normal? Who gets to decide what is outside the bounds of normal? The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)? The courts? Society? Family? The person him or herself? Not so long ago, women's defined mental states were entirely at the mercy of their families, fathers, husbands, male children, etc. More completely sane, smart, independent, and freethinking women were committed to mental institutions based on the testimony of the disgruntled men in their lives than ever should have been.In Kathy Hepinstall's gripping novel, Blue Asylum, set during the American Civil War, main character Iris Dunleavy is sent to an insane asylum on Sanibel Island because she has turned out to be an embarrassment to her husband, defying him, and disagreeing with him on fundamental moral issues, including the issue of slavery which was rending the entire country apart. She has been committed to the asylum on the say so of her husband, whom she knows to be amoral and guilty of a heinous crime, and a judge, who clearly discounts a woman's tale, even one told in truth. And she arrives on the island remanded to the care of a pompous and self-involved doctor who is incapable or unwilling to listen to her and to hear the truth of her story. It would be enough to drive any sane person crazy. But quiet, observant Iris is made of stronger stuff than most. She befriends the doctor's young son Wendell and, improbably enough, falls in love with a fellow inmate, Ambrose Weller, a soldier who suffers terrible attacks and rage as a result of his experiences in the war and who can only sometimes be soothed by invoking the idea of the calming color blue.Both Iris' and Ambrose's stories tease out through the narrative, slowly drawing the reader into the awful horrors in their pasts that caused them to end up in Sanibel Asylum even as their future quietly and cautiously unspools before them. Dr. Cowell's past experiences and the tragedy in Wendell's young life are also carefully revealed, offering both of these secondary characters motivation for their actions towards the "lunatics," and specifically Iris and Ambrose. As Iris falls for Ambrose, she decides she must include him in her plans to escape the island, certain that her love will be able to cure him in ways that Dr. Cowell's techniques have not yet managed. And yet despite her desire to leave and to be with her love, can Iris really reintegrate herself in a society that has locked her away without a second thought? And can Ambrose overcome the terrible moment that destroyed him, breaking the grip the war has on his mind and memories?Hepinstall has written a fantastic, short novel about the place of women in the 1860's, questions of sanity and morality, the horrors of war, and of love and truth. Her characters are wonderfully real and well rounded. The smooth, even pace of the novel is perfect, sweeping the reader along as Iris, Ambrose, Wendell, and Dr. Cowell interact in concert and at cross-purposes as they move towards their inevitable conclusion. The evocative writing makes the buggy, humid, lush environs of Sanibel Island come alive as a place just far enough removed from the war raging on the mainland that it seems isolated and almost untouched by the turmoil except in small key ways, like the inability to get supplies, especially meat, in a timely manner. Sanibel Asylum is a time out of place just as the people incarcerated there are a people out of accepted society. This is definitely a book not to be missed.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nothing makes me more feminist smashy than reading historical fiction where women who dare to be themselves and not the obedient pet society wanted them to be are thanked for their strength by being sent to an insane asylum. Iris isn't even that radical (by modern standards); she does want a man to take care of her, but not her evil, slave-owning husband. Even though later in the story, I don't necessarily agree with all of Iris' decisions, I can't help sympathizing with her because I can see what she's been through.

Just the other day, Heather of Coffee-Stained Pages and I were discussing historical fiction that dealt with the topic of slavery. Basically, we agreed that most of the books on slavery have the exact same viewpoint and narrative, whereas other historical fiction (like that of WWI or WWII, for example) is much more creative. Well, here comes Hepinstall with an exception to that. Although slavery is a central topic, along with the treatment of women, this story is nothing like any that I've read before. I love the comparison she draws between women's issues and slavery.

The writing was beautiful, and I had a lot of lovely quotes from which to choose. Ultimately, I went with the one that speaks to my life most. I love that phrase 'ecstatic loneliness,' because, as an introvert, it really describes how I feel most of the time. No wonder reading is my favorite pastime. Plus, who can't sympathize with a person who wants more out of life? Don't we all?

The way that Hepinstall also focused on the other residents of the mental hospital was fascinating. All of the 'lunatics' made a certain amount of sense, and yet there's just no way they can hope to function. Most of them were actually lucky to be there. For a mental hospital, this one was really nice, definitely not Nurse Ratched material.

Blue Asylum is a beautifully-written book that explores insanity and slavery, both of women and African Americans. Hepinstall walks familiar territory but weaves something new (I know I'm mixing my metaphors but I don't care!). Her book will likely appeal to those who enjoy Jessica Maria Tuccelli's Glow, especially those who don't like dialect much, or The Yellow Wallpaper.

[bjmitch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved Blue Asylum. I had never read anything by Kathy Hepinstall before but the premise of this novel attracted me to it so I entered a contest and won it. Thank heaven I did because this is undoubtedly going to be on my Top 10 list this year.The story is about a woman named Iris Dunleavy. She is the daughter of a minister who grew up in Virginia, is courted by a visitor from further south, and marries him. The Civil War is going on, but so far she has felt little repercussion from that war. Her husband takes her home to his plantation but before going to the main house he stops the wagon at the family cemetery, takes her by the hand to his parents' graves, and says, "Here she is." Uh-oh. Right there you know something isn't right with this man, and this isn't going to end well.I'll skip over the fascinating story of how this happens (no spoilers here) but Iris ends up being declared insane and sent to a lunatic asylum on Sanibel Island. Yes, that Sanibel Island. Most of the book details her life on Sanibel, the doctor and staff, the other patients, and finally the doctor's thoughtful and kind12 year old son, Wendell, who becomes Iris' friend.The novel has many tragic scenes, some tender moments, and a story you just can't tear yourself away from. We've had several rainy days in a row, which is a good thing since I just read and read until I finished this story. In a blurb on the cover, Hillary Jordan writes of Hepinstall's "vivid, beautifully crafted sentences." The quality of her writing was what made me read the book slowly so that I could savor each scene, each description, each character.I recommend this highly whether you like historical fiction or character-driven stories. It's just plain wonderful.

[julie10reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Iris Dunleavy is an abolitionist married to a slaveholder, a sane woman committed to an insane asylum, a married woman falling in love with another man. Hepinstall's latest novel refracts the Civil War through the lenses of parallel conflicts: husbands and wives, fathers and sons, doctors and patients. Summary BPLA rich addition to the Civil War era canon! Abolitionism from a woman's point of view; patriarchal bullying and intimidation in the name of psychiatry;abuse of rights between men and women, doctor and patient, slaveholder and slave, army and soldier are all brought to life in Ms Hepinstall's sensous narrative. Sitting out the war surrounded by the lush geography of Sanibel Island does not seem a cruel punishment. Yet the war of the rights of many withheld by few is waged here too. Patients who do not respond properly to "treatment" are subjected to water torture: freezing water poured in a steady stream over a patient tied to a chair. Iris is committed to Sanibel because a wife who "defies" her husband must be considered insane. Sanity is defined by those who hold power.Blue Asylum owes its depth to Ms Hepinstall's detailed yet never overwhelming research. She breathes life into her characters; they stumble through conflicts and adventures in ways that honour their personalities and time. I wish it were longer!8.5 out of 10 Recommended to fans of Civil War history and of fiction with substance.

[susiesharp_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I ended up not liking this book as much as I was hoping to; it was good but not great. I wanted to care more for the characters but they were a little one dimensional. The realization of what it was that sent Ambrose over the edge was the best twist in the book, and made me understand him so much better. But we really never got the entire story on Iris I always felt there was something missing, we get hints and events are alluded to but we never really get her entire story and I think had iris been more fleshed out it would have been a much better book.I liked the premise of this book as it is post Civil War and how just because you stand up to your husband you can be sent away to an asylum, the cast of characters in the asylum were interesting but we never got to know any of them really well. The author showed how the Civil war divided people’s beliefs and how even if you were on the other side you could still understand some things about the other.However there is something missing in this story I’m not sure if it is the one-dimensional characters, the unsatisfying ending or that she didn’t give us enough information about the asylum and Iris’ husband and the consequences of what happened at the end of the book. There is one part near the end I rewound twice thinking I’d missed something there is a jump in time here that confused me. The ending was very anti-climatic and felt rushed.Kate Forbes narrated this book or should I say read this book because that’s kind of how it felt to me it was just a straight reading, every once in a while there was an accent but it wasn’t every time that person spoke so there were inconsistencies in the narration.This is a quick ok read, but really nothing that is going to stick with me for very long.2 ½ to 3 Stars

[cinnamonowl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and its well-written poetic language. The language was hypnotic and entrancing, and so calming, especially the blue imagery.. like cobalt glass, like wedding flowers, like shining soul light..these images were meant to calm the patients when they were upset, to imagine all the cool blue things they could. And they were calming, to the character and the reader. I loved the characters, all of them so sad and lost. Especially Ambrose, a Civil War vet suffering from PTSD. He is doing very well and responding to the treatments, and only wishes to get better and return home a sane man. Iris isn't sad or crazy though, she is alert and angry, and she shakes the asylum up with her vitality and arguments. She was committed against her will, because she had defied her husband, and since it was the Civil War era, women are supposed to listen to their husbands, not defy them. So therefore she must be insane and institutionalized. Their other characters include an interesting mix of fellow hospital mates, the Dr. and his family, and the staff, mainly Chef, the Matron and the guy who watches the canoe, all who have their parts to play in this story.As much as I liked Iris, she made some poor, very arrogant decisions that had terrible consequences. I try not to spoil the endings, so I won't say much except for the end of this book made the entirety of the book seem futile and just a waste of time. I feel Iris didn't accomplish as much as she wanted, and although her actions are attempted to be justified in one sentence, I wasn't buying it. I enjoyed this book, right up until the end - then the ending I knew was coming did. All in all, I really did enjoy this book and story. I felt it was well written, almost like poetry in parts. I just thought the main chracter Iris made some poor choices that other people ended up paying for.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set during the civil war, the wife of a slave owning plantation, is sentenced to the lunatic asylum on Sibella Island. There she meets many different characters, some sane some not, and Ambrose who is scarred by his own actions in the war. This novel is a quiet novel, almost ethereal in tone, because the reader learns what sent these people here in flashback and conversations from the characters instead of directly from the acts. Loved the doctor's son, a young boy who fears he himself in insane. The descriptions of the water, sea life and the island are beautifully rendered. As for the name Blue in the title, it does have meaning but you will have to read the book to find out what it is. ARC provided by Net Galley.

[tracywhitt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great work, with fabulous characters. I loved Hepinstall's ability to see the heart of humanity even in those who are insane. And really the question comes to be; who is really insane?

[celinenyx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If a book has an asylum in it, I'm always game. But this one was a surprise; Blue Asylum has so much to offer.In the time of the war between the South and the North, wife of a Southern slaveholder is sent to an asylum. Here she meets a cast of characters including the self-proclaimed crazy son of the psychiatrist, a woman that swallows small objects and a soldier that uses the colour blue to keep his war traumas at bay. But Iris doesn't believe she's mad; and there is only one thing on her mind. Freedom.Ms Hepinstall writes with a dreamlike quality that fits wonderfully in this story. The way she describes the island where the asylum is located, to the sea and the creatures. It was beautiful. If it weren't for the asylum, I would have loved to live there.Now as for the asylum itself, it was like a fresh breeze into the genre. Usually asylums are bleak places, with small empty rooms with only a metal bed. A place where behind a pretty façade there are horrible things going on. But none such thing in Sanibel Asylum. The place is light and breezy. The rooms have comfortable beds and paintings on the wall. The patients can have walks on the beach and a weekly swim in the sea. They dine together with the psychiatrists family and eat the same fine food. I loved the contrast between the beautiful asylum which is a prison, and the freedom outside where there is a war going on.The story is about so much more than a woman fighting for her freedom. There are so many underlying themes such as faith, war, slavery, family, destiny and of course love. What made Blue Asylum a five-star read for me is that even though it contains so many heavy themes, it never gets preachy. There is no narrator telling you "This is the way it should be". There are only the characters, fighting their own situation, and discovering themselves while doing it.Blue Asylum will keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a lot of mystery going on, and the secrets won't be revealed until the very end.A truly amazing book.

[allisonmacias · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

ris Dunleavy is sent to an insane asylum by her husband. But she isn't insane. Iris hates life at the asylum almost as much as she hated her life at the Civil War threatened plantation. Iris quickly makes friends with Ambrose Weller, a Confederate soldier whose bouts of violent memories can only be calmed by the color blue. Iris battles the asylum doctor, asserting her sanity. The doctor refuses to listen to her female hysteria and grows angry at the woman who has disturbed his asylum. Iris knows she must escape the asylum. She befriends the doctor's son, who believes himself to be insane. Aided by him, Iris and Ambrose flee the asylum seeking a new start for themselves. Will their love restore their sanity?This hauntingly beautiful novel brings love and sanity into question. This book questions what insanity really is. Is it not following social norms? Is it intense grief and remorse? Or believing untrue things?Hepinstall's work is very vivid. I can see Ambrose, wanting to be sane, but believing he isn't. I can feel Iris' pain at a love lost. While I couldn't take my eyes off Iris and Ambrose, I enjoyed the peripheral drama being played out.I now remember why I love Civil War novels. It provides such a heart wrenching backdrop. This book comes very highly recommended.

[denise701 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book that stays with you long after you have read it. Iris Dunleavy has been sent to the insane asylum on Sanibel Island after escaping from her husband's plantation along with a group of slaves. She tries to explain her situation to the asylum's doctor, but finds that her story is one that sounds so horrific that it can't be true. She does find allies: Wendell, the doctor's son, and Ambrose, a civil war soldier trying to recover from what seems to be shell shock. The three of them plot an escape, but it's a journey that leads them to truths that none of them could foresee. Some things just cannot be left behind.Beautiful prose; haunting story.

[ahandfulofconfetti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

During the Civil War, Iris Dunleavy, the wife of a plantation owner, is convicted of madness and sent to Sanibel Asylum. Knowing full well that she is not insane, Iris longs for the chance to escape, and is determined to get away from the asylum and its egotistical doctor. But her plans are made more difficult when she meets and befriends Ambrose, a soldier whose madness is so severe that he can only be comforted by the color blue. The two begin to fall in love, and Iris becomes convinced that she must take Ambrose with her when she escapes. But can their love survive in such maddening times?I don't read a lot of adult historical fiction, but the summary - and the love story - were too good for me to pass up. And I'm glad I got a chance to read this book, because I really enjoyed it a lot. There was something very gentle and smooth about the storytelling; the prose isn't unbelievably beautiful or anything, but there were still numerous phrases and lines that caught my attention and were just really well done. I enjoyed the characters, which you get to experience because the book flips viewpoints throughout, so we're reading from Iris' point of view, and Ambrose's, and the doctor's, and the doctor's son, back and forth constantly. Normally this would bother me because it's so easy to do this in a clunky manner, but the switch was very seamless and smooth and just worked perfectly for this book.All of the characters had something about them that made them memorable. Iris, who is willing to stand up for herself and what she believes in and is so incredibly strong throughout the entire story. Ambrose, who is stronger than he thinks he is, but so clearly in the grip of what we'd now call PTSD (which of course was considered insanity back in the 1860s). The doctor, who is so unbelievably arrogant and pompous and who can't stand to hear a bad word said about him. Wendell, convinced he's going crazy because he's doing what all boys his age do, who is stuck on the island without any companionship his own age, which is ultimately what's making him crazy. And then you have the numerous asylum inmates: the woman who swallows things, the man whose feet are too heavy, the girl who's overly sympathetic to all living things. All of these characters just created an absolutely memorable setting and a truly wonderful story.The doctor was perhaps the most striking character for me personally, particularly his insane (ha, see what I did there?) infatuation with Iris. He absolutely cannot stand her to be upset with him, and goes to great lengths to try to win her approval, when all he would have needed to do was simply LISTEN to her. I had such a hard time with him - I went back and forth, feeling sympathetic, and then hating him, over and over so many times that I lost count. He is so condescending, and one line in particular really got to me (and to Iris): "I know there will be some words and phrases with which you will not be familiar..." like she can't possibly understand because she is a woman and he is a man and there's just no way she can possibly be smart or cunning or anything else. Just crazy, because her husband and a judge said so. But then he'd go and do things to try to make up for his mistakes at various times and you could tell he was trying but just really didn't know what to do. He was just really well-developed and written; it takes a lot for me to hate a character, and that's exactly the emotion I was feeling toward him at times.At the heart of this book is the love story between Ambrose and Iris, that was really beautifully crafted. I have a soft spot for romance novels, and while this wasn't completely a romance, there were large portions of it that definitely felt that way. Ambrose is a very sick man, but Iris is convinced that she can fix him, that they can live together and be happy. As the book goes on, you learn her story, and also Ambrose's, and you can see why he is the way he is, and what drove her to be called "insane". Ambrose had a line about war that I loved, which said, "...that is the horror of war, that somewhere inside it for every unlucky man is the moment that undoes him." I think it's particularly apt in today's time with all of the veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan who have come home with PTSD and are truly struggling. And I think that Iris was good for him; I loved the time they were able to spend together, the love that they felt for each other, and the ways that each made the other a better person.There were a couple of quotes that I want to share. Keep in mind that these are from an uncorrected e-galley, so they may not be the same in the finished version."...the doctor did not believe her memory. It was copper next to her husband's gold." (18%)"'...[why] did you not think of more appropriate venues to have your voice heard?''I am a woman, Doctor. I do not have a voice.'" (35%)"I was not crazy when I came to this island." (39%)"She loved it when he broke through with a gesture of strength. Became the man again. Let her be the woman." (91%)The one thing that caught my attention the most was that the asylum had a habit of making even the sane "insane" in some way. I loved how this book showed that; you can see it in everyone, from the doctor, to his wife, to his son, to the patients who probably didn't have anything wrong with them at all, particularly Iris, whose only fault was that she was independent and a free thinker, which just wasn't the done thing. This was just a really fabulous look at that time period, and the ways that everyone viewed each other, and the societal norms and what happened when you didn't follow them. There were also all these little additions about the war itself, and the effect it was having on the country and the people, even those who weren't fighting. How the war itself was causing its own type of insanity, not only in the former soldiers but in everyone. Insanity was a very clear theme in this book, and it was addressed in really careful and interesting ways.If you want a fast read, with multiple engaging characters, and a beautifully-developed love story, check this one out. I'd definitely recommend it.An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.