Heart-Breaking wonderful tale.

this books is amazing, i was enthralled from the first page i couldn't help but devour this book. it is a tale of amazing strength and love. Edyth is a strong independent character that you cant help but support through-out the story.
even though the characters are fictions the story is based on true advents and this story make you realize how easy it was back then to fob off a relative simply by saying there insane. i am still reeling from this epic tale.
at the end the author even refers to the book that she used as reference and i love that because it opens my reading to books i wouldn't normal venture in.
this is a ten star review its a shame i can only give it five stars. i will be following this author and cant wait to read more by her.

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into with this story. I'm not a big fan of historical writing, and I had a really hard time getting through this. I gave up about half way through. The story jumped around too much for me. If you enjoy historical mysteries, this would be a great book for you. It just didn't do it for me.

The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock proved an interesting read. I was hooked from the beginning, drawn in by the lovable character of Edyth Foster, an eccentric artist, who bucks the system in 1887 in New York City by wearing split skirts and riding a bicycle in public. (Spoiler alert!) In this historical fiction novel, Edyth finds herself committed to an asylum by an enemy, and the reader gets an inside look at the reality of the treatment of patients of Blackwell's Island in the 1880s. While the book showed the disturbing treatment of the Blackwell Island patients, I still found it hard to put down, wanting to know how the story would end. The author's style is enjoyable, the setting realistic, and the characters rich. If you're a fan of historical fiction, you enjoy a clean read, you'll enjoy Grace Hitchcock's The Gray Chamber.

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed reading how strong and eccentric the author portrayed Edyth as a young unmarried woman in 1877. I am a Registered nurse living in New York, so when I saw this book I just knew I had to read this book. The author does a fantastic job bringing the reader back in time where women have no rights. Edyth's aunt and uncle want her inheritance, so they lock her away at an insane asylum. The author gives a frightening look at how patients where treated.

As soon as I saw that this was the next book in the series I knew I HAD to read it. The cover first caught my attention and than reading what the book was about I knew it would be good.I loved the character of Edyth. She was amazing. Her spunk was unrivaled. The fact that she didn't care what society thought made her so unique and in the time of 1880's would have been scandalous. I loved how her character evolved throughout the book but still remained true to herself.Bane was so amazing! His steadfastness throughout the book is what makes people keep reading! I mean who wouldn't love a man you can fence? I have always loved sword fighting so I immediately loved this character. As the book went on I only loved him more!I found my self reading very quickly through parts because I had to find out what happened next. I highly encourage people to read this book.I had heard of this story from history before I had read this book and was fascinated by the history this book is based upon. Readers know that though this is fiction things like this actually happened in real life! This book showed how we need to trust God in all things, be still and know Him and Scripture Memorization is so important. Storing up God's Word in our heart! This author is new to me BUT will certainly be among my favorites! I couldn't put this book down. I read it in 3 days or less!

Another thrilling story in the True Crimes series! A romantic suspense that swept me up in the reading and held my rapt attention throughout. I couldn't read it fast enough!
"Fear not, for the Lord will be with you."
I found myself quickly attached to the main characters, and held my breath when it seemed all hope was lost. A few Bible verses and prayers of the characters, especially when in peril, kept the story from becoming too dark, and brought inspiration to the tale. I shudder to think that some of these events actually happened. The treatment of the mentally ill in the 1880's and corruption of the system were horrible. Nellie Bly's account and her part in the tale was well done, adding authenticity to poor Edyth's experience. The conclusion was done smoothly, with a gentle wrap up, making for a very satisfying read.

Recommend for readers who enjoy historical romantic suspense with faith, and based on real events. For further reading about the historical treatment of the mentally ill, I recommend Jane Kirkpatrick's book, One Glorious Ambition, about the work of Dorothea Dix.
5 stars!

The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock is a delightful glance into the world of insane asylums during the 1900's. I have always known that asylums were some pretty creepy places during the 1900's, but Hitchcock does a fabulous job at showing the horrors that occurred to normal woman who were sent there by the men who claimed to love them. No wonder some of the women actually went crazy. Horrible things and abuse happened to them while they were imprisoned in these places. I couldn't imagine the horror, uncleanliness, and the abuse some of these sane women had to put up with. I really enjoyed how Hitchcock made Edyth a fighter who struggled for her freedom and was willing to help others escape too. I really liked the element of including Nellie Bly in the story too. I knew some of what she did, but this made it a little more realistic. Overall, The Gray Chamber was a quick and delightful read. I enjoyed this book and hope for more mysteries from Hitchcock. If you enjoyed this story, then pick up Elizabeth Blyer Younts novel The Bright Unknown.

I received a complimentary copy of The Gray Chamber by Grace Hitchcock from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

This is the second book I've read by Grace Hitchcock. It is her second book in the True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime. I read and enjoyed her first book, The White City, and this book is just as enjoyable. Her writing is very realistic to the point I had to stop reading and resume later as I got so caught up in the story.



I don't like to give a synopsis as you can read that elsewhere. I want to give you my opinion of a book. I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating. I truly enjoyed this story. It was well written and sadly, true to how things happened back then.



The main characters were very believable, you loved the good ones and despised the bad. The way some were treated tore at my heart. The editing was also well done. Poor editing can ruin an otherwise great book. The story flowed well and at times kept me on the edge of my seat.



I requested to read and review this book through Netgalley. I am not required to leave a review and if I do, it is not required to be a positive review. This review is my own and my honest opinion. When this book is published I will post this review on sites such as Amazon, B&N, Booksamillion, etc.

This is a dense and slow moving novel. Novels are not generally my cup of tea. I'm an ex reviewer of film scripts, so I'm accustomed to faster moving pieces. But for those who love the density of a quasi Victorian-style novel, this one will intrigue you. The lead character is swimming upstream in her Victorian world, doing things most girls would not tackle. Her challenges include getting the better of her older, more law-savvy relatives, who want to get rid of her and succeed in getting her committed to a lunatic asylum for a time.
I have no big beefs against this piece and certainly one must be a deft writer to get this fleshed out well. But some of the conceits in this novel (it isn't historical and certainly not True Crime) have been seen before, such as the unjust sentence to madhouse etc. But all in all it's good for those to whom this genre appeals.

I am not sure why this book was put under the True Crime heading. The category that best fits this book would be historical fiction.
With that out of the way.....this was a very predictable and boring book. I kept waiting for a surprise, a shock, something to give this book life,....NOTHING.
Its a story told so many times I can recite it without even trying.
Rich Heiress, family controls money, commits her, she endures horrible abuse at mental hospital, true love comes to save the day, NELLIE BLY!, gets revenge on family who commits her.
BLAH!
This book is just another line from a familiar story.
Adds nothing NEW to the genre and in fact is boring.

The only thing I won't do is leave a review on goodreads.

Edyth Foster was an unusual young woman who lived in New York city in the year 1887. Edyth rode a velocipede and she took fencing classes and she beat all the men in her class!
Edyth liked her teacher, Raoul Bane, but he thought of her as a friend - until her cousin Lavinia showed her how to dress as a lady, he then noticed her as an attractive young woman, and not as a tomboy.
Edyth was a wealthy orphan whose Uncle Boris was her guardian, but he had married a woman who despised Edyth.
Mrs. Foster and Uncle Boris had an evil plan, and in that day, women could be committed for any reason...

I was hooked by the time I was 25% through this book. It's not your typical chick lit, & it's based on actual historical events. The protagonist is a strong, strong-willed, unconventional young woman who used her position to live a life of intention instead of one of leisure, which cost her her freedom & very nearly her life.