Blue Asylum by Kathy Hepinstall

Blue Asylum
Kathy Hepinstall
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2012),
$24.00, Kindle $15.50
Hardcover, 288 pages, 0547712073





Iris Dunleavy is the wife of a souther plantation owner. She is duped into the belief that her husband’s slave labor would be temporary, a “necessary evil”. However, she is a vociferous and recalcitrant partner in the marriage, an image contrary to proper behavior in Southern society. When she witnesses the brutal treatment of a young slave, she is unable to stand the torture. She throws herself in front of the bloodied youth to prevent further lashes of the whip. This does not bode well with her husband and he reprimands her. Later, when she helps a group of slaves to escape, her husband is infuriated and convinces a Virginia judge to declare her insane. She is sent to Sanibel Asylum, to be rehabilitated into a more compliant wife, cooperative and gentile.

While there, she meets many patients, some insane others questionable. Her friendship with her doctor’s son is sweet and helps her to manage the long days. Iris knows she does not belong at Sanibel and refuses to cooperate. and provides a constant challenge to her doctor and staff. Considered a modern, state of the art facility, Iris is not convinced. When she suffers an inhumane water therapy treatment given to uncontrollable patients she seethes with anger.While there she meets a Civil War soldier who suffers flashbacks and fits that are only soothed by the color blue. Iris falls in love with Ambrose and begins to think about a different future.

Kathy Hepinstall is brilliant with characterization and her novel offers a memorable cast. My favorite person is an older woman inmate who suffers from an unusual eating disorder. While this novel is intensely serious and provides a setting that is the dark reality common at institutions of this time period, Hepinstall manages to relieve the readers with short respites of humor. Without giving away too much, a much anticipated meal of lamb becomes a disappointment to all, except the doctor’s son. Hysterical moment with hysteria at Sanibel.

This was my first experience reading anything by Kathy Hepinstall, however after reading Blue Asylum I will have to catch up. She certainly captured my interest as Blue Asylum kept my Kindle in constant use. Anyone interested in the rights of women, and the social inequities that was prevalent during the late 19th century will embrace this with zeal. Kathy Hepinstall has a fluid style, a natural cadence to her writing with an intriguing plot.
Fabulous historical fiction that will satisfy anyone interested in the social reform movement of this time period and the freedom and rights of all. A novel deserving much praise.

Wisteria Leigh
Saturday, March 31, 2012

Disclosure: This kindle edition was made available at no charge to me via Net Galley at www.netgalley.com


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2012].

Review-Every Boat Turns South, by J.P.White

Every Boat Turns South
By J. P. White
Permanent Press
240 pages
1-57962-188-0
September 2009


Every Boat Turns South Every Boat Turns South is the story of two brothers. Hale the shining star with all the promise a parent could hope for and Matt his younger brother who lives in his shadow. One night ignoring his intuition, Matt follows his brother on a trip even though he feels a sense of foreboding. The dye is cast and the fate of Hale is sealed when the clandestine plan suddenly backfires.

Unable to cope with the memory of his brother and the circumstances of his death Matt disappears. Three years later, Matt arrives on his parents’ doorstep looking like “something the raccoons forgot to eat.” He carries with him more baggage than the two plastic bags in tow with a readiness to unload his guilt. His father Skip is a skeleton of his former self. He is dying a result of congestive heart failure. He has tenaciously held on, unable to give up the ship.

There is little doubt that his mom loathes rather than loves him for Matt has come home to tell Skip what really happened to Hale that night. He has come home to tell Skip about his adventurous trek of escape and survival.

This may appear to some as a simple story of an adventurous drifter running from a lot of guilt and memories over his brother’s disappearance. However, it is more than simple, it is complex, an intricate composition of themes that twist around each other as you follow the undulating currents. The book is written in alternating narratives, one is Matt talking to his father, and the other is Matt’s journal or captain’s log. The characters never appear to be who they are, adding more mystery and intrigue. “ And sometimes I have seen what men have thought they saw.”

White’s compass rose takes you on a meandering voyage that will keep you guessing until the last sail south. The poetic lyrical motion of White’s writing is spiritually uplifting with a lilting cadence. Reading is an effortless indulgence as his prose embraces the reader. With the skill of an artisan in Venice his imagery is precise beauty on paper intended to captivate the audience.


Highly recommended.

Sunday Salon-Glad to be back!

It's great to be back on Sunday Salon. I can't wait to visit everyone's blog. It's been a rough couple of months for me, but this week I'm feeling better. Although not quite 100%, I can at least read a little and write to you. It has been unbearably difficult not being able to write on my blog and reading yours. All is good today though and that's all that matters.

Obviously, my reading has been very low for May because of my illness, but I did start a couple of books to make up for lost time.

I'm reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan-published in 1963. Wow! This is a must read about the state of women during the late 50's and early 60's. This period of time has been called the Second Wave of the feminist movement. Amazing stuff!!!

Also on the nightstand are:
Sea Changes by Gail Graham...fabulous!
Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White...riveting!
Leviathan by Eric Jay Dolin...compelling history of whaling in America.

Review: Salvos on the Backwater

Salvos on the Backwater: A Novel of the Civil War Period,Erin Wunderlich, XLibris, 2008, hc$22.99/ pb$15.99, 284pp, 1-4257-9845-4

It is 1863 on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the Apalachee Bay. Cap’n Jack Nichols and his Uncle Wiley are fishing on board the Chopee. This area of Florida is a dangerous place with constant treats of gators, panthers, snakes and other wild animals. Along with beastly harm comes the threat of Confederate pickets and Union soldiers who are crawling the countryside. It is a battleground for control. Bridges are targets. Waterways patrolled. Clear passage to ship goods is essential to both sides and at any cost. Desperate men will work for food and turn colors quicker than a the flash of a lighting hits the earth. Jack prefers fishing to any involvement in the war as he tries to remain neutral.

On this day, Jack and Wiley come upon the USS General Lyon and they frantically dodge cannonball fire. But Jack knows the labyrinth of streams, land and islands like his own name. They escape capture, possibly death and when they slip away they encounter a homestead. They meet the widow Rebecca, her father and son who have come upon tough times. Before leaving, Jack helps Rebecca get on her feet. Smitten with the widow, Wiley notices Jacks backward glancing smile as they leave. Jack continues to face peril from the Civil War and his nemesis Timber Harris. Harris, a sore looser, lost his boat to Jack in a card game and won’t rest till he gets revenge. According to Jack, “For me Harris is like a rip tide that keeps dragging my britches back toward trouble”

This historically informative action adventure provides a look at Florida in the Civil War era not often written about. Jack the manly, ingenious, Indiana Jones type main character is captivating. The plot is predictable , however that does not diminish the fine writing and imagery captured in the semantic dialect of the area.


You may want to read this one for the Southern Book Challenge 2009. This is one of my choices.

1/2