Madwoman: Nellie Bly

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A propulsive, compelling novel about the lengths one woman will go to to expose the truth about how those most in need of help are kept in danger. Madwoman‘ is based on Nellie’s life but, as tends to be the case, there are gaps the author has had to fill in herself. 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. Some were put there by their husbands because they were in the way of a new love affair, for instance.

It is the story of Nellie Bly who has a difficultchildhood after her beloved father dies leaving his second wife Nellie's mother bereft and almost penniless.It's a moving, absorbing, and beautifully written story, and a terrifying portrait of the fate many women suffered in the late nineteenth century. In writing of her experience, Nellie paved the way for women in journalism and brought to light the horrible treatment of the women at the asylum.

Madwoman is an avenue to learn more about Nellie Bly and her accomplishments, but lacks Nellie’s passionate spirit.An extraordinary portrait of a woman way ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world. Determined to become a journalist in a male-dominated world Nellie tries to make a name for herself exposing deplorable conditions of working women in Pittsburgh, but in doing so angers the (male) business owners who threaten to pull their advertising from the newspaper if her articles continue. Since my college journalism days I’ve been fascinated by the role of women in investigative journalism, including Ida Tarbell and Nellie Bly.

Madwoman by Louisa Treger is an engrossing story giving a fascinating insight into the remarkable life of pioneering 19th century journalist Nellie Bly. It all sounded perfectly plausible to me and I wouldn’t be able to tell you what was fact or what was fiction. I realise this is a fictional retelling but you can tell Nelly is one of those women in history that really does need her story to be told. Showing how her father's death and her mother's subsequent remarriage to an abusive husband affected her outlook on life.While Nellie is a woman to admire, nothing about this book caused it to stand out and the ending definitely felt too abrupt. It helps us understand her actions as an adult such as why she is so determined to be independent and has her sights set on succeeding in what was then considered a man’s profession. I was left with a nice introduction to Nellie Bly, but the interior workings and emotions of each character didn’t shine through.

It’s clear from the beginning she’s a determined and intelligent young lady, not intent on being outdone by her brothers in any way, and with her sights firmly set on a better life in which she need not be dependent on a man. A place where those charged with looking after the patients either give inadequate care or delight in doling out the most cruel and inhumane treatments they can think of. Looking into her eyes, Nellie saw that there was a grief only beheld in lunatic asylums, a grief so deep and black that its victim was submerged beyond reach, far more wretched than a criminal.

Vivid and written with compassion, Treger illumines Bly’s risky reporting that led to radical reform. The New York newspapers are uninterested in Nellie’s previous success, women journalists are not welcome on Park Row. She grew up in Pennsylvania in 1870s and had a father who was strong and encouraged her to read, follow politics and be educated.