The Darlings of the Asylum
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- £7.49
Publisher Description
To marry is madness.
To escape is impossible.
‘The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O’Reilly grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick
In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms.
When she turns down a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman, her family have had enough of her independent streak. Against her wishes, they lock her away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum.
Now at the mercy of the sinister Dr Rastrick, she must keep her wits about her if she has any hope of escaping.
This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O’Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum.
Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum:
‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times
‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest
‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own
‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden
‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister
Reviews
Praise for The Darlings of the Asylum:
‘Always engaging and readable’ Sunday Times
‘The narrative rattles along irresistibly all the way to its suitably gothic climax’ Readers’ Digest
‘This darkly atmospheric psychological thriller oozes menace’ Women’s Own
‘Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum… grips like a vice. I was totally invested in Violet's struggle in this chilling Gothic novel’ Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden
‘Gripping’ Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister
Praise for Noel O’Reilly:
‘Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge’ Daily Mail
‘Full of secrets, suspicions and rumour’ Woman & Home
‘Perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot’ My Weekly
‘A gripping historical tale … I loved it’ Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us
‘Noel O’Reilly’s lyrical writing brilliantly evokes the struggles of life in such a dramatic setting, as well as the hypocrisy and jealousy of society’ Sunday Express
‘With echoes of Du Maurier… a tangled web of fallen faiths, of sins, seductions and deceits’ Essie Fox, author of The Last Days of Leda Grey
About the author
Noel O’Reilly was a student on the New Writing South Advanced writing course. He has worked as a journalist and editor at the international business media company RBI, and is now a freelance writer. His first novel is Wrecker and The Darlings of the Asylum is his second. He lives in Sheffield.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Violet Pring endures a staid, suffocating existence in late Victorian England. Her once-wealthy family is slowly sinking into debt and dragging her down with them—a good marriage for Violet is their only salvation. But she resists—exploding into life, daring to pursue her artistic and sexual passions—and her shackles become literal as she is forcibly removed to an asylum. There are unmistakable echoes of Camille Claudel here, and countless unknown women, sacrificed to conformity and doomed to institutions for life. But O’Reilly is not interested in following well-worn paths, and in the dark heart of the asylum there are troubling questions to be answered—not just for society, but Violet herself. She is indeed a young woman chafing against multiple restraints. But if there is madness, where does it lie? Is Violet entirely innocent, a victim of her conventional family and a repressive society? Or is there something else at play here? A wild, delirious delight of a novel with mystery and horror to spare.
