True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History Will Edyth prove her sanity before it is too late? On Blackwell’s Island, New York, a hospital was built to keep its patients from ever leaving. With her late parents’ fortune under her uncle’s care until her twenty-fifth birthday in the year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or … year 1887, Edyth Foster does not feel pressured to marry or to bow to society’s demands. She freely indulges in eccentric hobbies like fencing and riding her velocipede in her cycling costume about the city for all to see. Finding a loophole in the will, though, her uncle whisks Edyth off to the women’s lunatic asylum just weeks before her birthday. And Edyth fears she will never be found.
At the asylum she meets another inmate, who upon discovering Edyth’s plight, confesses that she is Nellie Bly, an undercover journalist for The World. Will either woman find a way to leave the terrifying island and reclaim her true self?
Also Look for:
White City by Grace Hitchcock (March 2019)
Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma (June 2019)
Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken (August 2019)
Blue Cloak by Shannon McNear (March 2020)
If you have not read any of the True Colors series, a series based on true American crimes, I highly recommend that you do. Each book can be read as a standalone and is written by different authors. Not only have I enjoyed reading books by some of my favorite authors, I have met a few more through reading the books in this series. I first read Grace Hitchcock’s writings in this series.
Ms. Hitchcock’s lyrical prose paints a picture of the horrors of the women’s asylum on Blackwell Island. While the story of abuse, negligence and false diagnoses of Blackwell Island are based on historical fact, Edythe and her story are fictional. We do have a cameo appearance of a real historical figure, Nelly Bly, the reporter who uncovered the horrors of Blackwell Island and consequently published a series of incriminating articles that caused change for the treatment of patients in asylums.
I loved Edythe’s story. Ms. Hitchcock gives her readers a heroine that is filled with grit. At first, I felt that she displayed some of the entitled expectations that were associated with those of her class. But I couldn’t help but be drawn into her plight, and found that she exhibited courage and compassion in horrible circumstances. It was her journey of faith that tugged at my heart bringing light to an otherwise dark story.
This story had enough history, suspense and romance to hold me spellbound. I look forward to reading more of this series and more of MS. Hitchcock’s works.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wow! It’s still only January and I’m putting a second book on my 2020 Favorite’s list! The Gray Chamber was a surprise to me. Some of the other books (by various authors) in the True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime series didn’t wow me, but this one did. Fully! I quickly became invested in the story, connected with the characters, and stayed up way into the night to finish the book.
I adored Edyth Foster, the quirky, one-of-a-kind heiress of her family’s fortune. Not because of her affluence, but because she was adorable, generous, merciful, fun, self-assured, and highly likable—in spite of it. From her unconventional clothing, hobbies (fencing) and choice of travel (riding a velocipede) she is one of the most charming, eccentric main character’s I’ve ever met. I love how she pined for Bane (her fencing instructor) since she was just a child, yet never acted on it. I also love how she was comfortable in her own skin, not worrying if others liked or understood her.
Bane is incredibly interesting too. He is confident, yet sometimes clueless, and has a good heart. He wants and deserves a loving and caring life-partner but building his business had taken so much of his time and energy and he fears he might’ve sacrificed too much time on his business life rather than his personal.
The lunatic asylum on Blackwell Island, as well as its Gray Chamber, is just as much a character as it is a setting. It holds such a dark and cumbersome atmosphere, committing crimes that are even more atrocious than fiction can capture. There were other incredible characters—good and bad—that made such a strong impact.
I could picture every scene and feel every emotion throughout this story. Nothing felt far-fetched, and the historical inspiration for the story will forever be ingrained in my memory. I’m so impressed with Grace Hitchcock’s storytelling gift and look forward to seeking out more of her work.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour and was under no obligation to post a review.
This has been one of my favorite books so far this year. It is beautifully written. I did not want to put this book down. How would you like to have a life and then find out that someone could control what was going to happen to you. This happens to Edyth. She is happy being an eccentric woman and doesn’t know what horrors can lurk in a bad mans heart. Can Edyth survive the horrors of an 19th century women’s lunatic asylum. I don’t know how anyone survived inside a lunatic asylum in that day and age. I loved the characters. I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishers for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Mental health is a sensitive subject in our culture today. Great care is taken as we realize just how powerful the mind is, and what we need to do to care for it. I have heard of asylums and the horrors that abounded in many in the past, but nothing has really gave me pause like The Gray Chamber did. How do you prove yourself sane and falsely accused in a place that is trying to provoke and prove the opposite?
While Edyth’s character was rather eccentric for a woman at that time, she was by no means crazy, and I loved seeing her strength when faced with such adversity and hopelessness. The relationship between her and Bane, so playful and yet so passionate, was a breath of fresh air.
The fight in this story is strong but the injustice had me audibly growling in frustration, craving justice on every page. The horrors that many endured at the hands of people who are supposed to be caretakers is unfathomable, the purest form of evil, and I am so thankful that Nellie Bly had the courage to do what she did, going in the trenches, exposing Blackwell’s Island for what it really was, and helping to bring about real change.
I cannot say enough about this incredible series and am already reading another volume as I write this review. How the authors are able to mix historical fact and fiction so seamlessly is truly breathtaking, and I am glad that these stories are once again being brought to light.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
3.5 stars
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes skyward, for there you have been , and there you will always long to return.” Leonardo da Vinci
Would she ever be free to walk the earth again with her eyes turned skyward, or had her world turned forever gray? Edyth Foster was terrified that color had been forever removed, that love had become forever denied, and that justice had been drowned in the depths of the sea. How had it come to this?
Exceptionally eccentric, but undeniably vivacious, heiress Edyth Foster never imagined that her unusual hobbies and accidental tendences would forfeit her entire future. Deemed insane by her greedy uncle, Edyth is whisked off to a mental asylum on Blackwell’s Island without a trace. Desperate to find his beloved, Raoul Banebridge works feverishly to find her, while the answer to Edyth’s predicament may be found within hospital’s walls . . .. or will everyone be too late?
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4
What an outstanding story; a balance of hope and desperation that so many readers will identify as timeless.
It is 1887 in New York City. Miss Edyth Foster is an heiress, having lost her parents to an accident many years earlier. Refusing to follow convention, she cycles around the city on her velocipede, spends her time at the fencing club enhancing her fencing abilities, sketching and painting all the while refusing to dress in the style befitting her status.
In that time, it was all too easy to pay off doctors, etc. to have them diagnose a person as insane, who would then be sent to Blackwell’s Island where there was little likelihood that they would ever be released from. Read on to learn of one such atrocity which was well documented by a newspaper columnist who allowed herself to be committed in order to bring about real change. Would Edyth manage to escape or was she destined to remain moving between the Lodge and the Gray Chamber of horror? Can she learn to leave her future in God’s capable hands?
I received a copy of this book through Barbour Publishing, NetGalley and CelebrateLit. All impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.
I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Edyth is a 24 year old young woman, unmarried, orphaned as a teenager, and considered to be eccentric. She loves riding her velocipede, fencing, and her fencing master (although he is unaware). Her uncle is her guardian until either her 25th birthday or she is married, whichever comes first. At such time, her trust that was left by her parents, will be turned over to her.
Her Uncle Boris is married with a stepdaughter, Lavinia. When she comes to stay with them, they throw a party in her honor. Bane (Edyth’s fencing master) takes an interest in Lavinia. That is until he sees how she has helped Edyth to transform. When Edyth doesn’t show for her usual meeting with him, Bane starts to look for her.
Boris has supposedly found a loophole in Edyth’s parents’ will. If she were to perish or be diagnosed as mentally ill, her trust would fall back to him as her only living relative. He pays doctors at Blackwell’s Island, a lunatic’s asylum for women, to diagnose Edyth as mentally ill. She is kidnapped and taken to the asylum, registered under a false name, and told that no one will ever find her. Meanwhile, he pays an actress to play the part of Edyth in New Orleans, where she supposedly dies after falling from a steamboat. An article is written and appears on the front page of the newspaper. Bane is shown the article and, thankfully, refuses to believe that she has died. He hires a Pinkerton detective to find her.
Will Bane get to Edyth before she is taken to the Gray Chamber, wiped of her memories, and changed forever?
The characters in The Gray Chamber are so well developed that it is easy to picture every scene happening right in front of you. Sadly, in the 1800s (the era in which this story takes place) it was not uncommon for women to be admitted into asylums for eccentricities, depression, and other characteristics and/or illnesses that we wouldn’t blink at today. These things still have a certain stigma, however, we’ve came along way in treatment. The abuses that were suffered in these asylums were horrific. Those issues are also brought to attention in this story. The fact that it was historically accurate made this very realistic.
I am very thankful to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It is one that I would definitely purchase and have already recommended to friends.
Great book with tight writing and without frivolous add-ins. One of the best books I have read this year and it is December.
Edyth Foster is singularly obsessed with fencing. Well, fencing and her instructor. She has pined for Bane for years but he only sees her as a little girl. She wears split skirts when riding her bike or a horse and is found of wearing her fencing dress out and about town.
Edyth’s parents were killed in an accident and she has been placed under the care of her Uncle Boris until her soon to come eighteenth birthday. Then she will inherit the great fortune left to her by her father. It soon becomes apparent to others that the woman Boris recently married is pushing for him to discover a way to void the will and collect the inheritance for themselves. He is naturally a mean person but his wife pushes him to evil.
Edyth is sent to Blackwell’s Island, a psychiatric hospital for women. Soon the vulgarities and inhumane practices of the caretakers are uncovered. Edyth is admitted under a false identity.
Bane noticed her as a woman just days before, yet her pursues her whereabouts with unwavering devotion.
This book exposes the despicable behavior in mental health facilities at the time. While it is fictional, the details were taken from records and the book Ten Days in Hell by Nellie Bly. The fascination behind what took place behind the walls of this and other mental institutions are portrayed.
I cannot describe how much I liked this book. Not the portrayal of things that occurred during this time in mental institutions but by the way it is written. Touted to be a romance, which it is, the backstory is simply fascinating. I hope Grace Hitchcock releases more novels soon.
I received an ARC from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.
A chilling look at how far greed can blind and drive selfish, depraved, loved-ones. I loved Edyth’s free spirit and eccentricities as she lives her life to the fullest. Edyth knows she is different than others and she has embraced this fact, until she decides to accept the help of her cousin to help win the heart of her dear friend, Bane. As she draws near to her birthday, where she is set to receive the fullness of her inheritance, her eccentricities are exploited and used against her to trap her in her uncle’s nefarious plan: disappearance and admittance to Blackwell’s Island.
Edyth is determined to escape and Bane is just as determined to find his missing friend. This story captivated my attention and refused to be put down until finished. There were some twists that surprised me and kept me hooked all the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed this next installment in the True Colors series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and all expressed opinions are solely my own.
This is a historical romance about American crimes that were committed in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Hitchcock has based her fiction on strange but true crimes committed in 1887. This one deals with an insane asylum on Blackwell Island in New York. Thus it insured that none could escape as the only way was a ferry to ride and of course they couldn’t do that. There was a lighthouse with a beacon if they attempted to swim…..The story deals with a young heiress who is in the care of her uncle until her 25th birthday, which is only a few months away. Through devious means and much money he successfully has her committed to the asylum with the promise of the doctors that they can do a treatment that will erase her memory forever, thus insuring that she will always be held there. Hitchcock has done much research about the asylum on Blackwell island and has written a most interesting novel with very believable characters. There is danger, intrigue and a delightful romance also to warm the heart. She describes the horrid conditions and abuse these poor souls faced daily with no hope of ever leaving. You will not want to put this book down. ……. I received a complimentary copy of this book free from Barbour Publishing, Inc., and was under no obligation to write a review.
The Gray Chamber is my favorite book thus far in the True Colors series to date. Grace Hitchcock excels at pulling readers into this story and making us care about the characters before throwing them into turmoil and peril.
Edyth is a fun and unique heroine, one I couldn’t help but want to be friends with. Bain also grew on me (once he opened his eyes to Edyth).
Edyth’s experiences at Blackwell’s Island, Bain’s search for her, and their subsequent escape while danger nips at their heels were all elements that engaged me as I rooted for our hero and heroine to find their HEA.
For me, the best historical fiction reads are ones that both entertain and teach me about true moments in history, and The Gray Chamber did just that.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
This story is one that will stay with you for many years. The details are very terrifying at times and it brought me to tears. I can’t begin to imagine the horror these women faced every day in a place that abused patients and caused deaths that were painful and inhumane.
Edyth is a wonderful character who does things other women disapprove of. I loved learning about fencing and how there were women who were gifted in this area. Greed is the main theme in this book as Edyth falls victim to her Uncles’ treacherous scheme to put her away and steal her fortune.
There is one character that I absolutely loved in the book. Bane is a brilliant fence instructor who happens to take a shining to Edyth. His love for Edyth is evident as he never gives up trying to find her. Yes to me he is a knight in shining armor. It was intriguing to read how their relationship developed. Bane knows something is wrong when Edyth doesn’t show up to meet him one day. Edyth’s Uncle is callous and makes up lies as to where Edyth is. While Bane searches for her , Edyth ,is locked away in an asylum under false pretenses. The description of The Gray Chamber is unnerving and I had a hard time reading about it. The author does an amazing job of vividly recounting what went on at the asylum and I was very interested in reading about an undercover journalist in the midst of patients.
The story is based on a true crime with fictional liberties that enhance the story. Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t put it down. I had to find out if Bane would save Edyth before it was too late. The thought of Edyth never being rescued had my heart pumping. After reading this book I will be exploring more about this asylum and the treatment that women were forced to endure. The faith element is good in the story and gives hope to Edyth. Even though this is just the beginning of the new year, this book will be placed on my list for favorite 2020 books .
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
What an amazing book!!! The Gray Chamber is the 4th book in the True Colors – Fiction Based on Strange-But-True History series and is a standalone read. It has adventure, suspense, betrayal, and romance all rolled into one volume. I hated to turn the last page. Edyth Foster is a young woman living in New York in 1887…a young woman born into privilege…her parents die in an accident leaving her under her uncle’s care until she reaches 25 at which time she will come into great wealth. Edyth is a bit of an eccentric and has a tendency to do as she pleases and it pleases her to ride about town in garish outfits on her velocipede and pursue the hobby of fencing. Little does fencing instructor, Raoul “Bane” Banebridge, suspect that young Edyth is quite enamored of him and has been almost since the day he began teaching her. It is only when Edyth’s cousin helps her dress for a party that Bane recognizes what has been right in front of him all the time…Edyth is not only breathtakingly beautiful but also quite charming. Bane is almost surprised by his feelings of jealousy over the attention she receives from other possible suitors and determines that he will pursue her…something that Edyth has dreamed of for years!! Poor Edyth appears not to have very much insight into how her eccentricity might have appeared to others or how her uncle’s new wife truly felt about her. Much to Edyth’s surprise, she finds that her uncle and his wife have plotted to have her committed to Blackwell’s Island…the sight of an abominable mental hospital with equally abominable treatments. If they are successful, the bulk of her wealth will revert to Uncle Boris and his heirs. What will become of Edyth now? Will anyone come to her defense? Will Bane care enough to search for her when he realizes she is missing? Who is the mysterious Nellie Brown she encounters at Blackwell’s Island? The suspense is building so don’t miss it!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
I have really enjoyed the True Crime series and The Gray Chamber is a great addition! This story kept my rapt attention and I could not wait to read what was going to happen. I enjoyed the relationship between the hero and heroine. Their friendship turned romance was sweet and fun! I also enjoyed learning more about women’s asylum’s throughout the context of the storyline.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. A positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.
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.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The romance was done well, albeit a little quickly. The storyline was fascinating and frightening. Based on true history it was shockingly easy to have women committed even though they weren’t truly mad. Not to mention that women weren’t really allowed to be independent even if they were wealthy. Ms. Hitchcock did a brilliant job bringing the history to life and giving us really good characters. She also made them sympathetic without making them weak. All in all, a very good read.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.
This was another great addition to the True Colors series. Although Edyth was a fictional character, her story was based on real events and the unfortunate untold stories of many. With raw emotion and gut wrenching circumstances, this is a read I won’t soon be forgetting.
While the name Nellie Bly is often associated with the exposing of the horrors that happened behind the walls of insane asylums, I actually liked to see that she was more of a supporting character in this instead of the leading role. It breathed life into some of the people she would have encountered and gave them their own story.
The further I got into this read the more my blood boiled over Edyth’s predicament. What was more infuriating was knowing that what she went through was just a glimpse at what others truly experienced. My heart desperately sought for justice to be served and it kept the pages turning rapidly until I had finished the entire book.
This was such an easy read to get sucked into and it’s one that I highly recommend. I know that this is one that’s going to stay with me and I look forward to reading more from the series in the future.
*I received a copy of this book through CelebrateLit. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.
The Gray Chamber is an amazing book! Grace Hitchcock (now a new favorite author to me) certainly did her research revealed in the details of being kidnapped and taken to lunatic asylum in 1887.
Edyth Foster is a happy, free-spirited young woman enjoying her life as an heiress since her parents died when she was quite young. She was considered an eccentric in her day since she loved her hobbies of painting, riding her horse alone, fencing (gasp), and cycling in a wild costume for all to see and to spread gossip. Her secret crush is her fencing instructor, who is also her good friend.
Her father’s brother raised her allowing her a lot of freedom but then he married a woman who changed everything in the household and wanted to rid Edyth from living there even though Edyth owned the home.
The kidnapping details are so realistic, my heart was racing! While being a prisoner, Edyth makes some friends who seem to be okay mentally and that helps Edyth somewhat.
I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. (less)
‘This place has stripped away the layers of thick skin, and I am raw, for I have had no one and nothing to lean on here but the Lord.’
1887. Edythe Foster, wealthy heiress, but under her uncle’s care until she turns 25 (which is just months away), is a bit of a madcap, riding a velocipede and fencing, when her uncle finds a strange loophole in her father’s will and commits her to a lunatic asylum just a few weeks before her birthday. No one else knows what he did and think her merely visiting in another state. Edythe is certain she will die in this hell hole. Then she meets another inmate, the reporter Nellie Bly, who has had herself committed to Blackwell Island to do a article for the newspaper she works for. Will they find a way off this island and this horrific asylum before they truly do go mad?
I was fascinated by this book and did a bit of research on my own. This True Colors crime series is fictionalized accounts of true American crimes. I was horrified by the research I did! Blackwell’s Island was a menace to women in this era: tortured, starved, beaten regularly. This is not a long read and it’s compelling. Grace Hitchcock has done a wonderful job of bringing the horrors of this asylum to life. Recommended.
‘I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.’
The Gray Chamber by author Grace Hitchcock is the first in the True Colors Series I have read. This is a romantic suspense based on actual true events that happened in the horrendous Blackwell Island Asylum for Women in 1886. The book started a bit slow for me because I do not usually read gothic romance, but the fictional character of Edyth Foster is very interesting. Her parents died when she was younger and her father’s brother is her guardian. Edyth is a bit of an eccentric woman of twenty-four who is not governed by the rules of polite society of her day. She enjoys painting and learning to fence at a club and she would prefer to ride her velocipede into town than sit in a carriage. She has a strong faith and is very physically fit which are the main reasons she is able to survive the diabolical plan her uncle has set into motion.
During this time in history, if a woman was an inconvenient problem it was easy to have her committed to an asylum. The atrocities and conditions the women in the asylum suffer are documented by Nellie Bly/Brown. My heart broke as I read of the harsh treatment and the abuse of women who were held against their will with no hope of escape.
Publication Date January 1, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.