A review by kim_j_dare
The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

4.0

On her 17th birthday (fatefully October 31, 1900), Olivia's friends treat her to a hypnotist show, where she is chosen to go up on stage to demonstrate Henri Reverie's mesmerizing skills. Her mother ran off with the theatre when the girl was 4, and Olivia's father, an overly-enthusiastic dentist, is ever-vigilant for signs that Olivia is displaying unbecoming independence. He has his hands full, for the suffragists are in full force in Oregon, trying to get women the vote as they have in Idaho. As Olivia begins voicing her own opinions more, her father hires Henri to hypnotize his daughter into a state where she will not show anger or disagree with the men in her life. Instead, all she can utter when frustrated is "All is well"-- where, clearly, it is not. Her father's actions set off a series of events in which Olivia gets to know Henri (born Henry) better and becomes more determined than ever to speak her own mind and help other women do the same. Wonderful historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural. Turn of the century handbills, cartoons, and photographs captioned at the beginnings of chapters complement the story nicely.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.