While this book might be a good choice for many, it was not a good fit for me. I was not a fan of the author’s writing style and the multiple grammatical errors within the text. I also felt there was just too much going on with this book. There was the main plotline which I found interesting. Louisa was sent to a mental asylum and doesn’t know why and has to figure a way out, but then the author kept adding in subplots - Louisa’s brother and his issues in London, Grace and her fiancé, Beatrice and her baby, and then finally the fact that Louisa discovers she is attracted to women. It all began to feel like a soap opera with just a hodgepodge of storylines. Because of all of the aforementioned items, I would not recommend this book to students because I think I could locate a book that would offer a better representation of LGBQT+ feelings and thoughts that my students could actually relate to. There are a few scenes in the book where Louisa struggles to feel like she belongs and with her choices that some of my students might see as a mirror unto their own personal feelings, but on the whole, I do not see this being a book that many of my students would enjoy or that they would feel represented by. Perhaps the way Louisa was treated could open a door to discuss women’s rights and changes that have occurred over the years. The only thing I felt was a window in this book was the window into how women may have been treated in Victorian England. The author’s note at the end of the book mentions that the book was written in response to information about how women were incarcerated in mental institutions. I wish Eagland would have extended this in the story and made this the major focus of the book. Focusing on the historical fiction angle and saving the LGBTQ+ portion for a different story, would have allowed the author to effectively present both ideas because as the book is written, the LGBTQ+ portion of the story is not explored or extended to the full extent. Approximate Reading Level: 8th-12th grades (some sexual and LGBTQ+ themes)
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