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Start giftingMadwoman
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Learn moreBloomsbury presents Madwoman by Louisa Treger, read by Laurel Lefkow.
"A magnificent portrayal of Nelly Bly in all her journalistic integrity and daring.” —New York Journal of Books
"The perfect example of the power of an individual to question, and change, the status quo." —Christian Science Monitor
Based on a true story, a spellbinding historical novel about the world's first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly.
In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take.
But life in the city is tougher than she imagined. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum's wretched conditions.
But when the asylum door swings shut behind her, she finds herself in a place of horrors, governed by a cruelty she could never have imagined. Cold, isolated and starving, her days of terror reawaken the traumatic events of her childhood. She entered the asylum of her own free will – but will she ever get out?
An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world.
A HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE TIMES AND THE SUNDAY TIMES
Louisa Treger is the acclaimed author of three novels, The Lodger (2014), The Dragon Lady (2019) and Madwoman (2022), which was a Book of the Month in the Independent and The Sunday Times. She has written for The Times, The Telegraph, Tatler, BBC History Magazine and English Heritage. Treger has a First Class degree and a PhD in English Literature from UCL, and currently lives in London.
Reviews
Nellie Bly – what a girl! In this compelling tribute to a fearless young reporter of Victorian New York, Treger brings to vivid life the way one woman’s broken past gives her the strength to expose the many horrors faced by others left to rot in an asylum. Both a pioneering writer and early icon of sexual equality, Nellie’s true-life story is compassionately told in this remarkable read Treger paints a dynamic portrait of a pioneering journalist whose work sparked real change Treger provides a moving story, particularly powerful in its depiction of Bly’s desperate efforts to retain her sanity in the midst of institutional madness. Louisa Treger takes us deep inside the mind of an extraordinary woman, whose ambition to succeed in a male world leads her to the very brink of madness. It’s a moving, absorbing, and beautifully written story, and a terrifying portrait of the fate many women suffered in the late nineteenth century. A must read! Treger's finest novel to date, which is really saying something. An astonishing tour de force, the perfect amalgam of research and imagination. Nellie leaps off the page and her experiences are rendered in shocking, visceral detail. An important and shining book that brings to light a female pioneer who needs to be understood and celebrated. Brava! Vivid and written with compassion, Treger illumines Bly’s risky reporting that led to radical reform A compelling portrait of 19th-century journalist Nellie Bly … Recommended for fans of feminist historical fiction. Lovers of historical fiction won’t be disappointed. An intimate and intriguing portrait of a fascinating and complex woman. In Madwoman, Louisa Treger combines hertalents of storytelling and imagination to bring Nellie Bly firmly out of the history books and back into the spotlight where she, and her trailblazing journalism, belong. Fabulous A propulsive, compelling novel of the lengths one woman will go to expose the truth about how those most in need of help are kept in danger Praise for Louisa Treger: 'A daring blend of romance, crime and history, and an intelligent exposé of the inherent injustice and consequences of all forms of oppression A spirited account of a flamboyant life Madwoman is one of the best, a magnificent portrayal of Nelly Bly in all her journalistic integrity and daring Expand reviews