The Darlings of the Asylum: A gripping dark historical fiction psychological thriller and captivating winter read new in paperback for 2023…
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
To marry is madness.
To escape is impossible.
‘The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick
In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.
When she turns down a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman, her family have had enough of her independent streak. Against her wishes, they lock her away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum.
Now at the mercy of the sinister Dr Rastrick, she must keep her wits about her if she has any hope of escaping.
This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum.
Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum:
‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times
‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest
‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own
‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden
‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister
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Additional information
| Publisher | HQ (26 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 384 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0008275300 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0008275303 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm |
by Salgau Catalina
Not the first novel I read about the insane attitudes and medical procedures around mental health in Victorian times, but one of the best.
Noel O’Reilly can spin such a gripping and fascinating narrative. I was there, in the story, at all times! I rooted for Violet, I wanted her to be the artist she deserved to be. I wanted her to be loved for herself and allowed to blossom. I suffered alongside her and I’ve luxuriated in her schemes to escape. Oh and then that ending…it took me by surprise and what a gorgeous surprise that was!
I would admit that many elements could be classed at tropes, especially seen the subject. In particular once she was admitted to the sanatorium. But that didn’t disturb be in the least, because, as I’ve said above, O’Reilly has a way with words. By that point I was so invested, I only cared about her safe escape from the clutches of that mad man of a doctor, lol. But I think, the novelty element that the author introduces here is the character of Violet. In my view she is a person who has mental health problems. This are being explored from an artistic point of view, that “madness” that overcome artists and makes them create new things, have different perspectives, come up with subject unexplored by other artists. It is definitely a complex way of looking at potential mental health issues, at what we are pushed to do in moment of extreme emotions/fears. But it also highlights that some mental health ailments should not be a death sentence!
by TurnUpForTheBooks
This book took me completely by surprise. It started in much the way I had anticipated – a young woman resists her family’s guidance and society’s social expectations by refusing to marry – but the final chapters left me stunned and made me question everything I had just read.
Violet Pring is twenty-three and enjoying the privileges that her social standing affords her. However, her home life is less than perfect – with a lack of money, her highly-strung mother, and marriage proposals to navigate. An encounter with an enigmatic artist encourages Violet’s rebellion against her family’s wishes, so much so that she ultimately finds herself placed in an asylum. But the moments leading up to her incarceration are a blank and the asylum’s methods for treating the women in their care seem unorthodox. Can Violet remember what happened and find a way to bring about her release or is she destined to be locked away forever?
There is much to unpick in this novel. I enjoyed following Violet’s development during her time inside the asylum; getting to know the other women, listening to their stories and supporting them. Comparing and contrasting the men in the novel was also interesting; the different shades between good and bad, the themes of ambition and motivation. Ultimately, though, this novel is about mental illness; how it has been treated in the past, how it was viewed by others at this time, and how we recognise it in ourselves.
I think the author has done a remarkable job; making the novel seem about one thing, focusing our thoughts and emotions in one direction and then suddenly providing another perspective. That feeling – like a stomach flip caused by a sudden drop – has stayed with me some time after finishing the book. Highly recommended!
TW: mental illness, suicide, non-consensual sex, gaslighting, threatening behaviour, murder.
by appletreebooks
Violet is a young woman of the late nineteenth century who is tired of being bound over by the constraints of the era she lives in: the woman’s place only to be married, uneducated, unfulfilled and unable to be her authentic self. This is a time when it is more than dangerous to attempt to colour outside of the lines, to walk a different path. Violet struggles with the expectations placed upon her, the family needing her to marry her childhood friend Felix, but her own conflicting dream to be apprenticed to an artist.
This is a story about madness; the illusion of societal norms made up by men and the crushing truth of the expectations placed upon women. This is a gothic story based on the horrific truths of a time when women were often locked away for disagreements, melancholy, boredom and boldness. The themes of this tale are patriarchy, “the second sex” and abuse.
It will evoke emotions that undoubtedly include outrage, sadness and gratitude. This is a compelling story, and would make a good book club discussion. I highly recommend The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly.
by karen mace
This was a fabulous historical read, that really brings home the insanity of the times that we lived through where women couldn’t follow their dreams, and if they dared go against the grain they were locked up and treated as insane.
Violet is the heroine of this story – a free spirit who wants to be an artist, but her family disagrees! And so does society! Young women should just aspire to be married. That is it! It is not proper for women to enjoy themselves and do what is right for them! So when she says no to the arranged marriage her mother sets up, she is locked up as deranged!
It was fascinating to read how she complies while she’s in there just to get by. She needs to understand why nobody can understand her wants and needs, and she loves to talk to the other women in the asylum about their experiences. The treatment of the women is pretty horrific too if they dare to disobey.
I found the ending pretty shocking as it wasn’t what I expected but it made me sit up and take notice, and also rethink a few of my early perceptions of characters!! That’s what made this such an enjoyable read! Not everything is straightforward and I loved how the author played around with the characteristics and really mixed things up!!