Woman 99
A Novel
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2.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
She’s only a number now.
When Charlotte Smith’s wealthy parents commit her beloved sister Phoebe to the infamous Goldengrove Asylum, Charlotte knows there’s more to the story than madness. She risks everything and follows her sister inside, surrendering her real identity as a privileged young lady of San Francisco society to become a nameless inmate, Woman 99.
The longer she stays, the more she realizes that many of the women of Goldengrove aren’t insane, merely inconvenient—and that her search for the truth threatens to dig up secrets that some very powerful people would do anything to keep.
A historical thriller rich in detail, deception, and revelation, Woman 99 honours the fierce women of the past, born into a world that denied them power but underestimate their strength.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Macallister's spellbinding novel (after The Magician's Lie), set in 1888, a San Francisco society woman discovers horrifying treatment of patients after getting herself admitted to an asylum with hopes of freeing her sister. Charlotte Smith is devastated when her beloved sister, Phoebe, is sent to Goldengrove, supposedly an oasis of progressive treatment for mentally ill women. Inspired by Nellie Bly's undercover reporting, Charlotte uses the cover of a leap off an ocean pier during a lengthy stay with her aunt Helen as a ruse to get herself committed and bring Phoebe home. Once inside, she realizes that many of the committed women aren't ill at all, but are simply inconvenient, such as a prostitute, an adulteress, and a woman who refused to marry in hopes of pursuing an education. Charlotte suffers daily indignities (such as frigid communal showers), but finds humanity and small kindnesses among her fellow patients. As her time runs out, Charlotte enlists the help of her new friends Celia and Martha, who are planning their own escape. Though Charlotte narrates, Macallister also gives voice to a motley crew of women who, at the mercy of male whims, hide multitudes. Charlotte's commitment to rescuing her sister is emotionally resonant, and the grim realities of institutionalization in the 1800s offer heft. Macallister sensitively and adroitly portrays mental illness in an era when it was just beginning to be understood, while weaving a riveting tale of loyalty, love, and sacrifice.
