The Asylum

By: John Harwood

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

A brilliant new Gothic thriller from the acclaimed author of The Ghost Writer and The Séance.

Confused and disoriented, Georgina Ferrars awakens in a small room in Tregannon House, a private asylum in a remote corner of England. She has no memory of the past few weeks. The doctor Maynard Straker tells her that she admitted herself under the name Lucy Ashton the day before and then suffered a seizure. When she insists he has mistaken her for someone else, Dr. Straker sends a telegram to her uncle, who replies that Georgina Ferrars is at home with him in London: "Your patient must be an imposter."

Suddenly her voluntary confinement becomes involuntary. Who is the woman in her uncle’s house? And what has become of her two most precious possessions: a dragonfly pin left to her by her mother and a journal that contains the only record of those missing weeks? Georgina’s perilous quest to free herself takes her from a cliffside cottage on the Isle of Wight to the secret passages of Tregannon House and into a web of hidden family ties on which her survival depends.

Here is another delicious read from the author praised by Ruth Rendell as having "a gift for creating suspense, apparently effortlessly, as if it belongs in the nature of fiction."

©2013 John Harwood (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Creepy doings - certificates of insanity, switched identities, morbid personalities - in and around an asylum in 19th-century England… Harwood certainly makes the atmosphere work here." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Engrossing… The crisp prose and twisty plot will encourage many to read this in one sitting." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Harwood, master of creeping Victorian horror, does it again in his latest tale of pervasive evil and madness.… Twisted in every sense of the word and wonderfully atmospheric, this dark psychological tale shocks by degree until truth of a sort is revealed, in a style similar to that of Joanne Harris’ Sleep, Pale Sister and D. J. Taylor’s Kept." ( Booklist)

interesting

i really liked the story, it was a nice ending and not to long .sweet story!

A good listen with an interesting story

I will say that this book is not my typical fair, so consider that while reading this.

Overall, I found the story to be interesting, but like most mystery stories (at least from my perspective) you do lose something in listening to the novel vs reading it. With that said, I found the story to be very interesting and did not know what the next twist or turn would take me.

It's an enjoyable listen overall.

Mesmerizing

This book is different from my usual cup of tea, so I hesitated a bit before purchasing it. I was afraid it might be too formulaic to be enjoyable, but this has been one of my favorite audiobooks in some time. First, it is very atmospheric; I was immediately drawn into this world. Harwood created a main character to whom I was immediately drawn. Much of the story is told through flashbacks, but the narrative switches between the present and past so skillfully that transitions are seamless. As I listened, I always had questions that made me find just a few more minutes to listen a little more. The suspense isn't driven by violence and mayhem, but of situations with "something" just a bit off kilter, or the promise of information just around the bend. I don't want to say much about the plot because each new element of the plot reveals something that you've been wondering about. If you read the publisher's summary on the book's page, it gives you a decent enough feel for the book; just know that this story is very well crafted.

If you're considering this book, go ahead, you won't be disappointed. The writer is talented; Rosalyn Landor does her usual outstanding job; and the overall result is an experience that I am very glad I did not miss.

Unnecessary to story same sex relationship was thrown in!

I found the story line to be interesting until a same sex relationship was unnecessarily included. Very irritating!

Sublime

This is so different from what I usually like, but it was terrific! It really makes you think how far we have come with medical resources.

Kept me guessing

I wasn’t sure - until the end - which character needed to reside in the Asylum. The twists and turns kept me guessing. I am a fan of long books with good character development and I liked this one!

My heart raced through the entire book!

I loved the narrator, the characters, and the plot. I appreciate that at the end the author ties up all loose ends. I found the story to be a bit of a thriller mystery. It even has a thrilling story with in the story!

The Asylum

I was less than impressed.I was expecting something scarey,and it wasn't.The story was ok,but has been told before. Narration was good.

Suspenseful & Entertaining

I really enjoyed listening to this book and I’m fairly picky. I really enjoyed the suspense. There was only one element I didn’t enjoy (a bit cringey), but great book.

It was ok

I love Victorian mysteries. I enjoyed the Seance novel more than this one. The narrator was excellent and frankly carried the so so story. I did finish until the end so it wasn’t a bad story. Just hard to connect fully to the characters.