The Lobotomist's Wife

A Novel

By: Samantha Greene Woodruff

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

An enthralling historical novel of a compassionate and relentless woman, a cutting-edge breakthrough in psychiatry, and a nightmare in the making.

Since her brother took his life after WWI, Ruth Emeraldine has had one goal: to help those suffering from mental illness. Then she falls in love with charismatic Robert Apter - a brilliant doctor championing a radical new treatment, the lobotomy. Ruth believes in it as a miracle treatment and in Robert as its genius pioneer. But as her husband spirals into deluded megalomania, Ruth can’t ignore her growing suspicions. Robert is operating on patients recklessly, often with horrific results. And a vulnerable young mother, Margaret Baxter, is poised to be his next victim.

Margaret can barely get out of bed, let alone care for her infant. When Dr. Apter diagnoses her with the baby blues and proposes a lobotomy, she believes the procedure is her only hope. Only Ruth can save her - and scores of others - from the harrowing consequences of Robert’s ambitions.

Inspired by a shocking chapter in medical history, The Lobotomist’s Wife is a galvanizing novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the best intentions gone horribly awry.

©2022 Samantha Greene Woodruff. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Inspired by a genuinely shocking and quite real chapter in American medical history…a compelling and deftly written novel of a woman fighting against the most grievous odds, of ego, and of the best medical intentions gone horribly awry. …vividly and effectively narrated by Cassandra Campbell.”—Midwest Book Review

“Dramatic and compelling…”—Historical Novel Society

“Samantha’s fictionalized novel sheds light on the real-life atrocities endured by so many during a time when maladies of the mind were so misunderstood. The focus placed on mental illness in The Lobotomist’s Wife certainly make it a timely read due to the attention placed on this topic since the beginning of the pandemic. This historically-inspired story allows readers to see the progress made in the treatment of mental illness through the years.”—Hope Magazine

Picks up about half way

I enjoyed the book. It was more intriguing half way in. Definitely a worthy listen though.

Great story

Loved this story. The mix of medicine and drama in a historical novel was perfect. I never got bored and even loved the ending!

OMG!!! The narrator

I am compiling a list of narrators NEVER to listen to again............Cassandra Campbell....check!! Story was good, I enjoyed the plot but almost stopped listening because of the sing songy, nauseating voice of the narrator.

Overall enjoyed, but was a little flat at the end

*SPOILERS* This story grabbed me right from the beginning. It was interesting, and fascinating, the narrator is one of the best there is, and I couldn't wait to listen to it each day. You knew there was going to be a climactic ending, and it was, but I was so disappointed in how Ruth handled turning in her husband. She turned back into a little girl who was meant to sit in a corner and be quiet, and she didn't fight back. It also wasn't very believable, she was a hospital administrator - for years - you can't tell me that she didn't know how to suspend a Dr., or report a Dr. for any wrongdoings. The police? I am not surprised they reacted how they did, given the time period, why would she go to them? She could have gone to the Board, and I am sure drawn from the assistance of any number of colleagues for guidance - but again, as a hospital administrator, she should have (and would have in a realistic setting) known exactly how to handle a rogue Dr. She retreated back into being the weakling little girl that her parents thought she was, it was disappointing after such a long exceptional career. Also, one minor plot question, at the very, very end, in the epilogue - it says she has now converted the Carriage House into a - specifically stated - one bedroom home - where she and Edward lived together. What? You waited to reveal to the very end that Edward was gay and had a long time partner (Stephen) that he lived with - so why would he be living in a one bedroom home with Ruth? I wish I had the hard copy so I could go back and read that part again, as I feel like I must have missed something, or maybe I didn't and it was just bad editing. Minor complaints overall - I would definitely recommend the book, just a few of those caveats that I wish they had improved on.

Very good but it was missing something

This book provoked many thoughts about the history of medical practice. The only thing I would have liked to hear more about is the idea of female concerns being written off, like the character, Margaret's case of the "baby blues." In the author's note it states the fact that over half the lobotomist's patients were women, but that was not really emphasized in the story itself and I think it would have tied Margaret's story into the main story a little better.

very interesting story

enjoyed the story, good performance. This was not my usual type of story but I enjoyed it.

The story itself.

I felt like this had a Dr. Frankenstein, 1950s, prefect marriage gone wrong feel. I loved everything they tied in to really make the book.

4.5 stars actually-what's with the ending?

4.5 stars actually.
This book was really interesting. Based on the history and use of lobotomies in the US I found this book informative. I love any HF book that gets me googling the true events.
The narration was great. Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators.
The reason I took away 1/5 star? The fact that at the very end of the book, the author decided to throw in 2 gay couples. I have absolutely nothing against gay couple, and their relationship is not what I took issue with. It just seemed to me that the author decided to throw in a few "token" characters. My first thought when it was mentioned was "well, where was the token person of color?". It would have been one thing if she had dealt with the characters throughout the story but to just throw it in at the end? Just seemed as if it was a last ditch effort to be more "inclusive".

Poor Narration

Sadly, I felt that Cassandra Campbell made a real mess of her performance with this audiobook from start to finish… I usually love any and all of her work, and can not ever remember hearing her characters be portrayed as such meak, passive people with very strange voice inflections and personalities based upon her interpretation of them… It truly seemed like she saw the characters very different than listeners such as me, and if not for the story itself being captivating, I certainly would have stopped listening after probably just a couple of hours.. Might want o read the bookt if it’s an option for you… Unfortunately, since I’m completely blind and therefore dependent on audiobook, there really isn’t much I can do to correct the situation. Good luck, and would appreciate knowing if others had difficulty with Ms. Campbell’s performance.

Not my cup of tea

I was squirming from the details, but i thought the story kept dragging on a bit. interesting to learn more about lobotomy, but the only exciting part was the end with Margaret.