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From Netgalley in exchange for a review

It's 1900 America, and Emeline's father is dying of stomach cancer. Emeline has hopes to return to college to train in nursing, but these hopes are dashed when her father dies, and the family are forced into bankruptcy. Emeline takes the unusual step of approaching the Dorr family and asking if she could marry the son John, an up and coming lawyer.

Within months they are married and on the way to Labellum, a small town setting, where John has been sent to prove himself. The house they move into has been left fully furnished, and despite Emeline's disquiet and dislike of the furnishings, John refuses to let her redecorate.

Emeline finds that married life is not what she expected - she finds her husband remote and unreachable, the house disturbing and frightening, and the day to day housework unrelenting and unappreciated. Lottie, her one housemaid, can only work 3 days a week and "lives out" as they can have someone living in. Not only that but she is heavily pregnant.

Emeline's behaviour is soon marked as "hysterical" - she imagines people inhabiting empty rooms, the furniture moves of its own volition and there is a monster that lives in the woods. She is also confronted with the women of the town, few of whom are welcoming, and some are domineering and expect to be followed.

Rescue comes in the form of Emeline finding a purpose outside of the home - helping the poor with non medical issues (usually teaching people about germs). However, it's not long before it becomes dangerous - she ends up performing an abortion on Lottie, which doesnt go well and everything comes to a head.

The source of Emeline's "hysteria" isnt fully explained, and you are not entirely convinced she isnt making at least some of it up - however, there is a hint when her brother James comes to visit that she has done similar things before and essentially overreacting to new experiences where she's out of her comfort zone. The relationship with her husband John isnt all her own fault, as he's performing how he believes a new husband with a new job should act. It's only after returning from a trip to St Louis where his behaviour changes for the better, but it only makes Emeline's suspicions worse.

Had the book continued in the gothic style of her hysteria, I suspect I wouldnt have finished the book - it would have suited a much shorter book. However, once Emeline got out of the house and found something useful for her to do, it became much more interesting. There are some flashbacks to when Emeline was slightly younger that shows her desire to help people, no matter if you have to do something legally wrong in order to do something morally right.

Overall this was s very good book. Any book that draws me back to it throughout the day is a success in my mind. Emeline is a very easy character to identify with. In her own environment she was in her element and then her life gets turned upside down and she is no longer quite so confident. That is until she finds something to occupy her time and get her back in her element. I loved the historical aspect of this book and the different tidbits of trivia from that time. Nice job Stef! ( )

Overall this was s very good book. Any book that draws me back to it throughout the day is a success in my mind. Emeline is a very easy character to identify with. In her own environment she was in her element and then her life gets turned upside down and she is no longer quite so confident. That is until she finds something to occupy her time and get her back in her element. I loved the historical aspect of this book and the different tidbits of trivia from that time. Nice job Stef! ( )

A historical fiction and medical thriller that takes place in the early 1900's and deals with many difficult issues for women at this time.

Emeline Evans wants to do more with her life than be a housewife. In college, she volunteered with the nursing group and decided she would like to continue in that field along with the other strong, independent women she met there. Before she can ask her father for permission, he becomes ill and abruptly passes after a surgery. The family becomes destitute with no one working for a living. So, Emeline does the only thing she can think of to help her family's financial situation immediately- get married. After a quick marriage to aspiring lawyer John Dorr, Emeline is moved to the small town of Labellum, Missouri into a strange house with even weirder furnishings. Emeline feels that the house harbors all of her worst nightmares. Now, stuck in an in-affectionate marriage, Emeline feels as if she is slowly being driven crazy in her own home and with nothing productive to do with herself.

This book touches upon many important topics for women in the 1900's and is done in a wonderful and believable way. From Emeline's lack of options to further herself in life, to the belief that hysteria was the actual migrating of a women's uterus to her brain and the still present debate over abortion, author Stephanie Carroll outlines many struggles a women would have faced and how these issues could escalate very quickly. I felt very attached to Emeline's story throughout; from her slip into insanity and digging herself out in the best way possible. I liked that the story was not only focused on Emeline's fall into hysteria and why no one would believe her, but Emeline's own determination to fight the battles raging in her head and in her house to come out on top. I also appreciated the house, rooms and furnishings as characters themselves; the slow reveal of what Emeline is battling within her and the rooms is very interesting. I wish Emeline and John Dorr's relationship was explored a little more in the end, I did feel that it wrapped up a little too quickly.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

There is so many subjects covered in this story. A dead father, a family impoverished, an arranged marriage, viscous church woman, severe depression, the color divide, abortion and so much more. Interesting story, kept my attention and the parts where Emeline goes into a depression and feels the house is against her, the furniture moving and twisting, all out to get her I could definitely see the influence of Charlotte Perkins.

I almost think this novel tried to be too many things, tried to cover to many issues of that time period. Emeline herself, has so many things happen to her it sometimes lacks credibility. That said this is a good novel, by an Indie author and I am glad to see more of these novels brought to the readers attention. This author can write and I look forward to seeing what she writes next. ( )