ceredonia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0


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lareinadehades's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A masterpiece indeed! Elizabeth is a great example of resilience in the face of injustice, not only to herself, but to others. Kate Moore is a fantastic writer!

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thecozyrogue's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0


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kimtrepid's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Kate Moore’s writing is beautiful. I am usually one for fantasy, but the way she writes histories is unlike others I’ve heard before. It’s inspiring to hear the life, challenges and accomplishments of Elizabeth Packard, her work must be remembered.

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loriley's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring

3.75


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gondorgirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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em23jjh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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isleofwoman's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring sad slow-paced

3.75


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emilyferrise's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

3.0

I’m trying to read more nonfiction, so my rating could be a reflection of this book not being in one of my preferred genres. However, I loved the content of this book- the history of women’s rights and how mental illness diagnoses were handled in the mid 1800s. The subject, Mrs. Packard, is very likeable and the author does a great job presenting the story. 

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beth_s98's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.25

I did not get through the third chapter the first time I tried to read this one, mostly because I was not in the right headspace. However, on my second attempt, I devoured this book. The subject matter is very heavy at times, although it is also a story of resilience. 

Reading it almost feels like reading a novel, and it felt very well researched, with lots of evidence beyond just the main plot of the story. I thought the pacing and the way the story was divided really worked. Around the middle of the story it got hard to put down, I was so interested! 

There were a few things I felt were a little repetitive, but usually I could follow the justification. Overall I think this book was both very informative and very accessible, which means if you’re someone looking to get into reading more nonfiction, I think this could be a great place to start. 

I do want to stress that the topics of violence against women/mental patients, the total control of coverture, and the legal cases are throughout the whole book, and can get hard to read. I definitely had to take breaks as I was reading for my own mental health. Please take the content warnings seriously!

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