A review by hayleysbooks13
The Crow Garden by Alison Littlewood
4.0
‘Then she said, ‘How much of a woman’s life, do you think, is spent being buried alive?’ She looked up at the bars laid over her window.’
The Crow Garden was intriguing from the outset, with lots of twists and turns and beautifully described scenery. In large chunks of the book, you have no idea what’s real, which makes the ending all the more interesting. Some plot lines can be guessed throughout, but there are so many parts to the story, there is a surprise in there for everyone.
I loved the association with Victorian-era asylums. I’m currently also reading a psychology book, The Madness of Prince Hamlet, and the two books crossed over sometimes, even though the psychology book is non-fiction, unlike The Crow Garden which is a historical fiction. Some of the ‘cures’ in The Crow Garden are what ‘hysteric’ people had to actually go through; including mesmerism, cold water therapy and phrenology. The real history throughout the book, made it all the more interesting for me.
The book is laced with diary entries and case notes for the patients, which I really enjoyed. It is really well written and I definitely recommend if you want a different, slightly confusing, historical drama.
4/5
‘And I saw the Crow Garden, each of it’s mounds hiding some poor unfortunate, each with a black crow perched at its head: a murder of crows.’
The Crow Garden was intriguing from the outset, with lots of twists and turns and beautifully described scenery. In large chunks of the book, you have no idea what’s real, which makes the ending all the more interesting. Some plot lines can be guessed throughout, but there are so many parts to the story, there is a surprise in there for everyone.
I loved the association with Victorian-era asylums. I’m currently also reading a psychology book, The Madness of Prince Hamlet, and the two books crossed over sometimes, even though the psychology book is non-fiction, unlike The Crow Garden which is a historical fiction. Some of the ‘cures’ in The Crow Garden are what ‘hysteric’ people had to actually go through; including mesmerism, cold water therapy and phrenology. The real history throughout the book, made it all the more interesting for me.
The book is laced with diary entries and case notes for the patients, which I really enjoyed. It is really well written and I definitely recommend if you want a different, slightly confusing, historical drama.
4/5
‘And I saw the Crow Garden, each of it’s mounds hiding some poor unfortunate, each with a black crow perched at its head: a murder of crows.’